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JUL  31  1904 


BX  7233  .B55  C5 
Behrends,  A.  J.  F.  1839 

1900. 
The  Christ  of  nineteen 

centuries 


The  Christ 
OF  Nineteen  Centuries 


BY    THB''i"ATE 


Rev.  a.  J.  F.  Behrends,  D.D. 

FOR    SEVENTEEN    YEARS    PASTOR   OF    THE    CENTRAL    CONGREGATIONAL 
CHURCH.    BROOKLYN,    N.    Y. 


Selections  from  Discourses  and  Sermons 

compiled.  'by 

WILLIAM    HERRIES 


T.   B.   VENTRES: 
597  FuLTOK   Street.   Brooklyn,   N.  Y. 

1904 


Copyright  1904,  by 
WILLIAM  HERRIES 


I 


Rev.  a.  J.  F.  Behrends,  D.  D. 


A    FOREWORD. 


THESE  discourses  and  homiletical  ex- 
tracts from  the  pen  of  my  honored  pred- 
ecessor, the  late  Rev.  A.  J.  F.  Behrends,  D.D., 
have  been  compiled  and  arranged  by  his 
friend  and  parishioner,  Mr.  William  Herries. 
They  represent  in  the  main  the  thought 
and  utterance  of  a  distinguished  scholar, 
theologian  and  preacher,  who,  at  the  time 
of  his  decease,  had  long  been  a  foremost 
light  of  the  American  pulpit.  Yet,  the  out- 
ward reputation  of  the  former  pastor  of  the 
Central  Congregational  Church  was  the  lesser 
part  of  his  very  able  and  illuminating  minis- 
try. Its  inward  worth,  its  depth  and  width  of 
consecrated  knowledge ;  its  moral  eminence, 
and  its  spiritual  insight  constituted  Dr.  Beh- 
rends a  favorite  teacher  for  teachers,  a  preacher 
whose  constructive  efforts  presented  afresh 
the  dignity  and  weight  of  the  sacred  message. 
It  may  have  been  said  of  him,  '*  His  delight 
was  in  the  law  of  Jehovah  :  and  in  His  law 
doth  he  meditate  day  and  night."  He  also  knew 
the  secret  of  human  life   in  its  innermost  re- 


cesses,  its   reciprocal    influences,  its   sunlight 
and  its  pain. 

He  brought  his  gifts  and  energies  to  the 
office  of  the  Christian  pastorate  ;  he  received 
the  manifest  approval  of  his  Redeemer ;  and 
the  churches  in  centers  such  as  Yonkers, 
Cleveland,  Providence  and  Brooklyn  bore  tes- 
timony to  his  unfailing  energy  for  the  King- 
dom of  God. 

I  commend  this  volume  to  my  brethren  in 
the  ministry,  and  to  all  devout  lovers  of  the 
truth  as  this  is  revealed  in  Jesus  Christ.  In 
an  age  sometimes  marked  by  immaturity  and 
mental  slackness,  Dr.  Behrends  wrought  in 
detachment  from  minor  considerations,  with 
a  mind  natively  large  and  unusually  rich  and 
fertile.  He  was  thorough  in  all  his  researches 
and  they  bore  the  marks  of  painstaking  effort. 

His  record  is  deserving  of  this  permanent 
memorial  of  some  of  its  outstanding  charac- 
teristics, and  as  devout  souls  ponder  these 
pages  they  will  realize  afresh  how  great  was 
Dr.  Behrends'  intelligent  zeal  in  the  procla- 
mation of  the  Gospel. 

S.  Parkes  Cadman. 

Central  Church,  1904. 


PREFATORY. 


SHORTLY  after  Dr.  Behrends'  death,  a  few 
months  ago,  a  member  of  the  Central  Congre- 
gational Church,  Brooklyn,  who  possessed  ex- 
ceptional qualifications,  undertook,  in  a  spirit  of  affec- 
tionate regard,  to  compile  this  volume  of  excerpts  from 
his  pastor's  Sermons  and  Addresses.  Their  author 
was  a  power  in  advancing  the  influence  of  the  Gospel, 
and  a  positive  force  in  the  defense  of  approved  and 
well  tested  positions.  May  the  influence  exerted  by 
this  volume  be  a  continuance  of  the  work  so  suddenly 
cut  short !  Dr.  Behrends'  work  and  words  as  printed 
here  are  from  his  own  pen,  including  the  address  de- 
livered in  Carnegie  Hall  during  the  Ecumenical  Con- 
ference in  which  "he  uncovered  and  ripped  down 
clear  through  all  the  miserable  sophistries  by  which 
we  disguise  the  evils  of  our  infamous  divisions,"  which 
is  according  to  the  author's  manuscript. 

This  book  will  be  a  source  of  deep  satisfaction  to 
those  who  knew  and  listened  to  the  eloquent  preacher 
of  truth  and  righteousness, — whose  sincerity  was  un- 
questioned, and  whose  character  was  reflected  in  his 
preaching, — as  it  is  to  one  who  treasures  the  memory 
of  having  been  associated  with  him  in  the  work  of 
the  Gospel. 

WiLLARD  P.  Harmon. 

Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  March  15,  1901. 

5 


INTRODUCTORY. 


IT  has  been  deemed  due  to  the  memory  of  the  Rev. 
A.  J.  F.  Behrends,  D.D.,  and  to  the  desire  of 
many  to  whom  he  was  friend  and  pastor,  that 
some  of  his  work  should  be  put  in  form  for  permanent 
usefuhiess.  In  comphance  with  this  wish,  a  collection 
of  excerpts  from  his  discourses  on  different  themes, 
during  his  pastorate  of  the  Central  Congregational 
Church  in  Brooklyn,  has  been  made.  So,  in  present- 
ing this  book  to  the  public,  little  need  be  said  except 
that  the  author  speaks  for  himself,  as  no  attempt  has 
been  made  to  change,  in  any  way,  a  single  sentence 
as  it  fell  from  his  lips.  Thus,  although  the  preacher 
has  departed,  he  still  speaks,  and  that  in  such  a  way 
as  to  endear  his  deliverances  to  all  readers. 

The  careful  perusal  of  the  book  must  unquestionably 
promote  respect  for  the  Christian  religion.  It  will 
serve  to  perpetuate  the  memory  of  him  who  speaks, 
in  the  hearts  of  earnest  Bible  students;  while  it  will 
furnish  families  and  individuals  with  a  body  of  relig- 
ious literature  the  perusal  of  which  must  exert  an 
exalting,  healthful,  spiritual  power.  The  absence  of 
any  classification  of  subjects  in  the  arrangement  of 
the  excerpts  and  complete  discourses,  which  for  the 
most  part  constitute  the  book,  is  accounted  for  by  the 
desire  of  the  compiler  to  represent  the  pulpit  ministry 
of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Behrends  in  the  order  of  its  exercise 


INTRODUCTORY 

for  about  fifteen  years.  In  making  the  selections  the 
aim  has  been  to  enable  the  more  studious  reader  to 
comprehend  the  manner,  method  and  style  of  the  great 
preacher,  while  also  preserving  the  freshness  and  the 
frankness  of  expression  which  must  make  for  mental 
and  spiritual  profit  to  the  general  reader.  It  is  a 
book  designed  to  be  in  its  proper  place,  whether  in  the 
college  or  in  the  home,  in  the  study  of  the  preacher 
or  in  the  seminary.  It  contains  a  body  of  instruction 
that  is  the  essence  of  the  clearest,  most  manly  and 
most  scholarly  thought.  In  one  of  his  sermons.  Dr. 
Behrends  maintained  that  the  ''philosophy  of  God's 
discipline  was  compacted  in  the  life  of  Jesus  Christ," 
and  so,  that  philosophy,  as  illustrated  in  what  is  pre- 
served in  the  pages  of  this  volume,  is  a  fine  manifes- 
tation of  the  loving  and  noble  spirit  of  one  who  was 
declared  by  his  contemporaries  to  be  ''the  greatest 
preacher  in  America."  Readers  will  gladly  and  grate- 
fully acknowledge  that  his  light  still  shines. 

Preliminary  to  the  main  body  of  the  book,  instead 
of  a  biographical  sketch  of  the  author  for  which 
readers  are  apt  to  look  eagerly,  the  compiler  has  pre- 
ferred to  furnish  a  series  of  statements  which  amply 
cover  the  ground  of  Dr.  Behrends'  life  and  work. 

First  of  all  is  Dr.  Behrends'  own  account  of  himself, 
as  a  student  for  the  work  of  preaching;  next  in  order 
is  the  Tribute  by  the  Rev.  C.  C.  Creegan,  D.D. ;  Dr. 
Behrends'  Religious  Career,  by  the  Rev.  Frank  B. 
Cressey;  The  Great  Preacher,  a  tribute  in  Christian 
Work,  and  last,  The  Scope  of  Dr.  Behrends'  Ministry, 
as  set  forth  in  the  columns  of  the  Brooklyn  Eagle  at 
the  time  of  his  death. 

8 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

Foreword  by  the  Rev.  S.  Parkes  Cadman,  D.  D 3 

Prefatory  Note  by  the  Rev.  Willard  P.  Harmon 5 

Introductory 7 

PART  I. 
Dr.  Behrends'  Own  Account  of  Himself  as  a  Student 

for  THE   Work  of   Preaching 13 

The  Books  that  Helped  Him  Most  15 

Tribute,  by   the   Rev.  C.  C.  Creegan,  D.D 18 

Dr.  Behrends'  Religious  Career,  by    the  Rev.    Frank 

B.  Cressey 20 

The  Great  Preacher , 25 

The  Scope  of  Dr.  Behrends'  Ministry 28 

Dr.  Behrends    in  Cleveland 33 

PART  n. 

The  Temple  and  the  Cross 35 

The  Edict  of  Cyrus 36 

Overthrow  of  Babylon 37 

Birth  of  the  Synagogue 38 

An  Axiom  to  Remember 40 

Grace  to  Live,  and  Grace  to  Die    40 

Our  Own  Will 41 

The  Story  of  Esther 41 

Daniel  the  Prophet  of  Deeds    43 

Prayer  a  Dialogue 45 

Daniel's  Character 45 

The  Book  of  Job 47 

The  Philosophy  of  Suffering 49 

The  Scope  OF  the   Psalms 51 

The  Psalms  Arranged   52 

The  Psalms  as  a  Solace 54 

9 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

David  and  Solomon  Compared 55 

The  Book  of  Proverbs 56 

A  Priceless  Necklace 57 

A  Book  for  the  Young 58 

Warning  Against  Robbery 58 

Scope  and  Style  of  Ecclesiastes 59 

Leaving  the  Pit  of  Despair 60 

Office  of  the  Heart 62 

Why  Am  I  a  Christian  ? 64 

Testimony  of  John 65 

The  Mighty  Message 66 

An  Unfaltering  Faith  in  God 68 

Righteousness  Essential  to  Happiness 69 

God,  the  Soul,  and  the  Bible 71 

The  Principle  of  Righteousness 73 

Modern  Socialism  Versus  Christianity 75 

Triumph  of  the  Christian  Plan 78 

Gnasaphthani  ?    Gnanithani 80 

Paraphrase  of  Psalm  XVI 82 

Paraphrase  of  Psalm  XIX 84 

Sing  to  the  Heart  of  Jesus 85 

Lord,  I'm  Trusting 87 

Introduction  to  Birdseye  Views  of  the  Bible 89 

Missionary  Philosophy 91 

How  TO  Study  the  Bible 94 

The  Name  of  Jehovah 96 

The  Spirit  is  Willing  but  the  Flesh  is  Weak    98 

The  Nineteenth  Psalm 102 

A  Call  for  Church  Unity 109 

The  National  Covenant  with  the  Negro 110 

Studying  the  Bible iii 

The  Name  of  God 113 

The  World  for  Christ 115 

The  Law  of  Work  Interpreted 118 

Christ's  Life  not  a  Dream 120 

The  Doubting  Apostle 123 

Christ's  Method  with  Thomas 124 

The  Fact  of  the  Resurrection 125 


10 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Vigilance  Indispensable  to  Moral  Safety 128 

Christian  Unity 131 

Philosophy  of  Preaching 135 

Law  of  Christian  Progress 136 

The  Survival  of  Christianity 138 

Paraphrase  of  Romans  iii.,  21-26 141 

Thanksgiving  Observance 143 

Meaning  of  the  Divinely  Inspired  Bible 146 

Statement  and  Treatment  of  Scriptural  Differences  149 

The  Constraining  Love  of  Christ 152 

The  Later  Religious  Spirit 155 

The  Atonement 1 56 

Unity  in  Congregationalism 158 

End  of  Ten  Years  in  the  Central  Church 159 

Future  Punishment 160 

Athanasius  and  the  Incarnation 171 

The  Incarnation  and  Sin 175 

The  Only  Way  of  Escape 180 

Revolutionary  Demands  of  Socialism 182 

Sacredness  of  the  Sabbath  187 

Two  Forms  of  Criticism 191 

The  Jews  as  Conservators i94 

Testimony  of  Learned  Jews 199 

Evolution  an  Unproved  Theory 203 

Harnack  and  Literary  Criticism 206 

What  Must  I  Do  to  Be  Saved  ? 209 

The  Lamp  of  Life 212 

The  Attributes  of  God 216 

What  is  Man? 219 

Who  is  Jesus  Christ  ? 224 

Why  Did  Christ  Die  ? 229 

What  Does  the  New  Birth  Mean  ? 233 

Judgment  of  Self 238 

Christ  Dwelling  in  the  Heart 243 

Last  Ministerial  Anniversary 249 

The  Spiritual  Body 252 

The  Incarnate  Christ 257 

Wayside  Notes  on  Bible  Criticism 269 


II 


CONTENTS 

Christ  Triumphant 275 

God's  Love  First 282 

The  Effect  on  the  Churches  of  Supporting  Foreign 

Missions 294 

PART  III. 

PAGE 

Half  Hours  with  Jesus 304 

What   Jesus   had  to   say   about    His  Authority  as  a 

Teacher 304 

What  Jesus  had  to  say  about  the  Old  Testament 310 

What   Jesus  had  to  say  about  the   Guidance  of  the 

Church  by  Himself 316 

What  Jesus  had  to  say  about  God 321 

What  Jesus  had  to  say  about  the  Soul  of  Man 326 

What  Jesus  had  to  say  about  the  Devil . .  331 

What   Jesus    had   to  say  about  His  own   Death  and 

Resurrection  337 

What  Jesus  had  to  say  about  His  Authority  as  King.  343 
What  Jesus  had  to  say  about  the  Kingdom  of  God  . .  350 

What  Jesus  had  to  say  about  Children 358 

What  Jesus  had  to  say  about  Marriage  and  Divorce.  364 

What  Jesus  had  to  say  about  Nature 371 

What    Jesus    had    to    say   about   God's    Care   of  His 

Creatures 378 

What  Jesus  had  to  say  about  Prayer 384 

What  Jesus  had  to  say  about  Religion 392 

What  Jesus  had  to  say  about  the  Sabbath 400 

What  Jesus  had  to  say  about  Heaven 407 


12 


PART  I. 


Dr.    Behrends    own  Account    of    Himself    as    a 
Student  for  the  Work  of  Preaching. 

SOME  years  ago  Dr.  Behrends  favored  a  repre- 
sentative of  the  Brooklyn  Eagle  with  a  talk 
about  himself,  principally  as  to  his  preparation 
for  pulpit  work,  including  his  course  of  reading  and 
his  method  of  study ;  and  now,  the  story  which  he  then 
told  is  reproduced;  the  great  preacher,  although  his 
voice  is  silenced  for  ever,  speaks  for  himself.    He  said : 

When  I  began  my  ministry  I  adopted  what  I  pre- 
sume is  almost  the  universal  custom  of  spending  the 
entire  week  in  the  preparation  of  my  sermons.  One  I 
always  wrote  out  in  full  and  endeavored  to  prepare 
for  the  second  without  the  use  of  the  pen.  I  soon  dis  - 
covered  my  mistake.  The  well  speedily  became  empty. 
I  found  that  I  must  pay  more  attention  to  accumula- 
tion and  less  to  expenditure.  I  began  to  give  the  best 
half  of  my  week  to  general  hard  study,  critical  read- 
ing of  the  Bible,  philosophy,  ethics,  science,  history 
and  theology.  I  began  to  find  the  hardest  studies 
most  helpful  as  giving  keenness  of  edge  to  thought. 
Two   days   now    suffice   for   the    work   of   immediate 

13 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

preparation,  one  day  for  each  sermon.  The  work  is 
done  easily  and  rapidly  because  of  the  increasing  mo- 
mentum secured  by  general  study  during  three  or 
four  days  of  the  week.  It  was  a  hard  thing  to  do  at 
first,  but  I  persevered,  and  I  have  always  been  glad 
that  I  began  so  early. 

For  a  number  of  years  I  continued  to  read  half  of 
my  sermons  and  to  prepare  the  other  half  without  use 
of  the  pen.  But  my  written  and  speaking  styles  were 
out  of  harmony.  I  found  myself  living  a  double  men- 
tal life.  My  preaching  lacked  uniformity  and  the 
individuality  which  grows  out  of  the  use  of  a  single 
method.  So  I  abandoned  both  methods  and  adopted 
a  third,  that  of  preparing  a  careful  brief,  mastering 
its  contents  without  special  attention  to  the  language, 
and  then  freely  reproducing  it  in  speech,  and  without 
the  use  of  a  note.  This  has  been  my  habit  since,  and 
I  am  sure  that,  for  me,  it  is  the  best. 

The  written  preparation  usually  amounts  to  about 
two  thousand  words,  one  third  of  a  fully  written  dis- 
course. The  thought  is  put  as  compactly  as  possible, 
and  with  special  regard  to  clearness  and  precision.  No 
elaboration,  either  of  argument  or  of  imagery,  is 
attempted  at  the  time  of  composition ;  this  is  left  to  the 
subsequent  review,  to  which  an  hour  or  an  hour  and 
a  half  is  given  immediately  preceding  the  service,  and 
very  much  is  left  to  the  friction  of  thought  which 
an  active  and  attentive  audience  always  excites.  I 
know  the  disadvantages  of  such  a  method.  It  prevents 
a  man  from  filling  up  a  barrel,  upon  the  contents  of 
which  he  can  draw  in  an  exigency.  To  preach  an  old 
sermon,  prepared  in  this  way,  requires  nearly  as  much 

14 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

work  as  the  creation  of  a  new  one.    Exchanges  do  not 
bring  rehef,  and  suppHes  lose  their  attraction. 

I  want  my  vacations  for  absolute  rest,  and  I  get 
it.  But  I  have  found  the  advantages  many  and  great, 
and  I  am  sure  that,  for  me,  it  is  the  best.  So  I  mean 
to  stick  to  it,  whatever  may  be  the  judgment  of  others ; 
and  in  this  matter  every  man  must  be  his  own  homi- 
lectical  instructor.  I  have  ceased  to  read  lectures  on 
preaching,  because  you  might  as  well  expect  to  learn 
how  to  make  butter  by  reading  treatises  on  churns 
as  to  learn  how  to  preach  by  reading  lectures  on  the 
subject. 


The  Books  that  Helped  Him  Most. 

As  to  the  books  which  had  helped  him  most  in  his 
work,  Dr.  Behrends,  on  a  subsequent  occasion,  spoke 
as  follows: 

In  Theology  I  have  been  greatly  indebted  to  the 
monographs  of  Dorner,  Julius  Muller,  Lee  and  Dove, 
and  to  the  more  general  treatises  by  Hodge,  Dwight, 
Van  Oosterzee,  Martensen,  Philippi,  Luthardt,  Hare 
and  Jonathan  Edwards.  In  Biblical  Interpretation  I 
have  consulted,  with  constantly  increasing  satisfaction, 
the  works  of  Calvin,  Meyer,  Alford,  Elliott,  Lightfoot, 
Trench,  Delitzsch,  Godet,  Murphy,  Tholuck,  Alexan- 
der, Olshausen,  and  Perowne.  Neander,  Glesseler, 
Guericke  and  Schaff  have  been  my  guides  in  general 
Church  history.  Milman  and  Stanley,  Samuel  Hop- 
kins, Isaac  Taylor,  Dollinger  and  Ranken  have  been 

15 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

favorites  of  mine.  D'Aubigne's  histories  I  read  with 
avidity.  Calvin's  "Institutes,"  and  the  works  of  An- 
drew Fuller  and  of  Robert  Hall  were  much  thumbed 
by  me  twenty  years  ago.  I  have  derived  much  profit 
from  Herzog's  ''Real  Encyclopaedia,"  a  perfect  the- 
saurus of  critical  and  theological  learning.  The  Britan- 
nica  ranks  next,  in  my  judgment,  its  use  requiring 
great  caution.  Motley  has  always  been  one  of  my 
favorite  historians.  The  works  of  Coleridge  early  fell 
into  my  hands,  and  I  have  always  held  them  in  high 
esteem. 

It  was  during  my  seminary  course  that  the  sermons 
of  F.  W.  Robertson  fell  into  my  hands,  and  produced 
upon  me  a  profound  impression,  which  still  remains. 
Horace  Bushnell  I  regard  as  one  of  the  suggestive 
and  stimulating  writers.  I  have  read  all  his  books 
with  greediness,  though  unable  to  follow  him  in  all 
his  conclusions.  One  of  the  earliest  theological  books 
I  ever  read  was  Bledsoe's  ''Theodicy."  I  was  only 
fifteen  years  old,  but  I  read  it  with  the  eagerness  of 
a  starving  man,  and  the  questions  which  it  discusses 
have  always  enlisted  my  profound  interest. 

In  Philosophy,  Sir  William  Hamilton  has  been  my 
master,  whose  influence  upon  me  has  been  qualified 
by  that  of  Calderwood,  Caird,  Porter,  McCosh  and 
Lotze.  In  Ethics,  Butler,  Kant  and  James  Martineau 
have  had  most  attraction  for  me.  The  latter,  espe- 
cially, has  always  been  one  of  my  favorite  authors.  The 
only  product  of  Carlyle's  pen  that  I  have  ever  had 
the  patience  to  read  was  his  "History  of  Frederick 
the  Great,"  and  that  stirred  me  profoundly.  I  always 
read  Goethe  with  pleasure  and  profit. 

i6 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

I  fell  upon  the  'Tickwick  Papers"  during  my  col- 
lege course,  and  Charles  Dickens  has  always  had  a 
singular  fascination  for  me.  Later,  Washington  Irv- 
ing had  great  attractions  for  me,  though  for  a  dozen 
years  or  more  I  have  rarely  opened  his  volumes.  I 
have  the  liveliest  remembrances  of  the  novels  by 
George  Eliot  and  Georg  Ebers. 

In  Poetry,  my  reading  has  not  had  a  very  wide 
range.  It  has  been  confined  to  Homer,  Dante,  Milton, 
Wordsworth,  Coleridge,  Tennyson,  Mrs.  Browning 
and  Longfellow,  though  most  of  my  friends  would 
probably  be  surprised  to  learn  that  I  had  read  even 
these.  De  Quincy  and  the  elder  DTsraeli  were  often 
in  my  hands  twenty  years  ago.  Rawlinson's  "Ancient 
Monarchies"  were  more  interesting  to  me  than  any 
novel,  and  Lecky's  ''History  of  European  Morals" 
stirred  me  more  deeply  than  any  work  of  fiction  could 
have  done. 

In  the  voluminous  literature  called  forth  by  Strauss" 
and  Kenan's  Lives  of  Christ,  I  have  derived  the  great- 
est help  from  Hanna,  Farrar,  Young,  Andrews,  Fisher, 
Pressense,  Westcott,  and  Weiss.  Oberlin,  Kurtz  and 
Oehlcr  have  been  of  great  service  to  me  in  Old  Testa- 
ment theology.  Delitzsch  I  regard  as  the  prince  of 
Old  Testament  commentators,  though  in  some  respects 
Calvin  is  his  superior;  while,  for  the  New  Testament, 
the  palm  of  superior  merit  belongs  to  Meyer,  with  a 
very  high  place  for  Alford  and  Ellicott.  I  have  made 
no  mention  of  Mill  and  Spencer  in  Philosophy;  of 
Darwin  and  Huxley  and  Tyndall  in  Science ;  of 
Buckle  and  Draper  in  Philosophical  History;  of  Da- 
vidson and  others  in  Biblical  Criticism,  because  their 

17 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

reasoning  has  not  carried  conviction  to  my  mind.  The 
logic  has  been  vicious  in  its  unsupported  assumptions. 
There  are  other  departments,  notably  that  on  Political 
Economy,  on  which  I  have  not  touched,  simply  because 
the  list  of  names  would  be  too  widely  extended. 


Tribute  by  the  Rev.  C.  C.  Creegan^  D.D. 

[August  number  of  the  American  Missionary ,  1900.] 

Born  in  Holland  in  the  home  of  an  humble  Lutheran 
preacher,  he  came  to  this  country  with  his  parents 
when  five  years  of  age.  While  teaching  school,  in 
his  seventeenth  year,  near  Portsmouth,  Ohio,  he  was 
converted  by  the  preaching  of  an  obscure  Methodist 
minister,  and  at  once  decided  to  fit  himself  for  the 
work  of  the  ministry.  Largely  by  his  own  efforts  he 
worked  his  way  through  Denison  University,  Ohio, 
graduating  in  1862  in  a  class  of  three,  all  of  whom  be- 
came prominent  clergymen.  Three  years  later  he 
completed  his  theological  studies  at  Rochester  Theo- 
logical Seminary  at  the  head  of  his  class,  and  was 
called  at  once  to  the  pastorate  of  a  large  Baptist 
Church  in  Yonkers,  N.  Y.,  where  he  remained  eight 
years.  He  was  then  called  to  the  First  Baptist  Church 
of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  where  he  won  great  distinction  as 
a  platform  orator. 

It  was  (luring  this  pastorate,  which  lasted  three  years, 
that  Dr.  Bchrends,  after  a  great  struggle,  decided  to 
resign  from  this  strong  church,  where  he  was  very 

18 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

popular,  and  enter  another  denomination.  Six  happy 
years  were  then  spent  in  the  Union  Church  of  Provi- 
dence, R.  I.,  where  he  was  recognized  as  one  of  the 
foremost  preachers  in  the  State  and  nation.  Dr.  Beh- 
rends  was  a  great  scholar.  It  is  the  behcf  of  those  who 
knew  him  well  that  he  was  able  to  fill  any  chair  in  any 
of  our  theological  seminaries.  His  services  were  in 
frequent  demand  for  courses  of  lectures  in  our  leading 
colleges  and  seminaries,  and  at  least  two  of  these 
courses  have  been  put  into  book  form.  While  his  ser- 
vices were  often  sought  for  on  great  occasions,  such  as 
the  annual  meeting  of  the  American  Missionary  As- 
sociation, the  American  Board  of  Commissioners  for 
Foreign  Missions,  and  similar  gatherings,  his  best 
work  was  done  in  his  own  pulpit.  His  sermons  were 
always  prepared  with  the  greatest  care,  and  except  on 
rare  occasions,  were  delivered  without  a  note,  and  with 
wonderful  beauty  of  diction  and  irresistible  logic  to 
the  audiences  of  two  thousand  cultured  people  who 
hung  on  his  words  every  Sabbath,  and  who  regarded 
him,  not  without  good  reason,  "the  greatest  preacher 
in  America." 

The  secret  of  the  great  success  of  Dr.  Behrends  as 
a  preacher  was  not  to  be  found  in  his  striking  per- 
sonality, nor  in  his  musical  voice,  nor  in  his  profound 
scholarship,  but  rather  in  his  strong  faith  in  the  Bible 
as  the  Word  of  God,  and  his  only  creed,  and  that  Christ 
Jesus,  the  Divine  Saviour,  is  to  win  the  whole  world 
to  Himself.  From  this  belief  he  never  wavered,  and 
to  him  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel  to  men,  and  seeing 
them  come  into  the  kingdom,  was  the  joy  of  his  soul. 


19 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

Dr.  Behrends'  Religious  Career. 

By  the  Rev.  Frank  B.  Cressey,  Baptist  Church,  Wey- 
mouth, Mass. 

[Cong'reg-attonalist.,  May  31,  1900.] 

Adolphus  Julius  Frederick  Behrends  was  born  at 
Nijmegen,  Holland,  December   i8,   1839. 

Dr.  Behrends'  life  was  one  of  exceeding  difficulty, 
exceeding  triumph.  Dutch  by  birth,  he  was  also  by 
birth  and  childhood  training  a  Lutheran,  almost  of 
the  Roman  Catholic  type ;  so  far  as  was  possible  in 
the  United  States  all  the  influences  of  a  State  religion 
gathered  closely  about  him.  As  a  young  man,  his 
parents  then  living  in  Ohio,  he  read  the  Bible  for 
himself,  found  its  teachings  to  be  seriously  at  variance 
with  the  religion  of  his  home  life,  and  promptly  decided 
to  accept  the  Bible.  The  cost  of  such  acceptance  was 
very  great.  His  father's  door  was  closed  against  him ; 
for  Christ's  sake  he  became  homeless. 

His  study  of  the  Bible  decided  him  to  become  a 
Baptist ;  also,  from  the  Bible  he  learned  not  only  his 
way  to  Christ  but  his  work  for  Christ  to  preach 
Christ.  He  determined  to  secure  an  education;  went 
to  Denison  University,  Greenville,  Ohio,  and  ''worked 
his  way  through  college,"  during  the  presidency  of 
that  skilled  scholar.  Dr.  Samson  Talbot.  Then  at 
Rochester  Theological  Seminary,  he  was  a  pupil  of 
the  prince  of  teachers  and  preachers.  Dr.  E.  G.  Robin- 
son, with  whom  in  the  class-room  he  had  many  a  tilt — 
an  exercise  heartily  enjoyed  by  both. 

Dr.  Behrends  graduated  from  Rochester  Seminary 
in    1865,   married   an   estimable   Presbyterian    woman 

20 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

of  Rochester,  and  settled  with  the  Warburton  Avenue 
Baptist  Church  of  Yonkcrs,  N.  Y.,  its  membership  in- 
ckiding-  Dr.  Edward  Bright,  editor  of  the  New  York 
Examiner,  and  from  whose  hands  (unless  serious  mis- 
take is  here  made)  Mrs.  Behrends  often  received  the 
Lord's  Supper  before  she  became  a  Baptist.  Dr.  Beh- 
rends remained  at  Yonkers  eight  years,  and  while 
there  preached  a  ''Baptist"  sermon  extreme  enough 
for  the  most  extreme  Baptist.  He  then  went  to  the 
First  Baptist  Church  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  which 
brought  him  again  into  the  State  of  his  Lutheran  boy- 
hood, and  also  into  immediate  neighborhood  rela- 
tions with  at  least  one  minister  whose  denominational 
antagonisms  were  by  no  means  helpful  to  one  of  Bap- 
tist thought  and  feeling.  In  scarcely  more  than  a  year 
after  going  to  Cleveland  he  was  led  to  preach  one  of  the 
strongest  of  so-called  "open-communion"  sermons.  It 
grieved  his  church,  and  brought  on  him  the  venom- 
ously severe  criticisms  of  many.  But  his  church  did 
not  ask  him  to  resign,  such  prominent  members  as 
James  M.  Hoyt  and  B.  F.  Rouse  seeming  to  feel  that 
lack  of  agitation  and  lapse  of  time  would  help  the 
pastor  to  come  again  into  the  Baptist  faith. 

Yet  the  criticisms  continued,  and  after  more  than 
a  year,  Dr.  Behrends  resigned,  and  went  immediately 
to  the  pastorate  of  a  Congregational  Church  in  Provi- 
dence, R.  I.  A  copy  of  his  letter  of  resignation  lies 
before  me;  its  date  is  January  23,  1876.  By  his  request 
it  took  effect  eight  days  later.  He  says:  ''After  thir- 
teen months  of  varied  experience,  since  the  utterance 
of  my  views  on  the  communion  question,  I  find  myself 
so  radically  at  variance  with  the  denominational  spirit 

21 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

that  a  peaceful  withdrawal  from  the  Baptist  body 
seems  to  me  my  only  honest  and  honorable  course." 
He  speaks  of  ''unrestrained  assault"  upon  himself, 
which  had  become  "practically  unendurable  and  al- 
most a  wrong  at  the  bar  of  his  conscience,"  but  imme- 
diately adds  that  he  does  "not  impeach  his  brethren  as 
guilty  of  conscious  and  designed  intolerance."  "I  pro- 
pose to  indulge  in  no  parting  philippics,  nor  do  I  mean 
to  assume  a  polemical  attitude.  I  wish  to  withdraw 
quietly,  and  as  peacefully  to  resume  my  work  as  a 
Christian  minister  in  the  next  field  of  God's  appoint- 
ment. For  you  and  for  me  the  world  is  wide  enough 
and  time  is  too  short  and  too  precious  to  be  wasted  in 
needless  friction." 

Dr.  Behrends'  letter  of  resignation  showed  him  to  be 
utterly  at  variance  with  the  denomination  whose  fel- 
lowship and  honors  he  had  so  long  enjoyed.  That 
he  held  these  divergent  views  intelligently  and  con- 
scientiously no  one  of  his  Baptist  brethren  has  ever 
doubted,  however  great  their  disappointment  and 
sorrow  at  his  holding  them.  And  it  is  doubtless  true 
that  there  was  no  real  necessity  for  Dr.  Behrends  to 
leave  the  Baptist  denomination  so  far  as  Baptists 
themselves  were  concerned.  For  while  Baptists  are 
intelhgent  and  unflinching  in  their  views  of  Biblical 
truth,  there  is  always  among  them  large  and  honorable 
room  for  brethren  of  quite  dissimilar  views.  The 
thought  still  remains  with  many  that  it  would  have 
been  better  in  many  respects  if  Dr.  Behrends,  after 
preaching  his  "open-communion"  sermon,  had  been 
contented  quietly  to  continue  as  a  Baptist.  He  loved 
his  Cleveland  church  and  his  Cleveland  church  loved 

22 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

him.  He  went  from  them  of  his  own  accord;  they 
sorrowed  to  have  him  go,  and  had  he  remained  with 
them  they  would  have  been  none  the  less  a  Baptist 
church  than  before. 

In  the  letter  of  reply  to  the  resignation,  the  church 
expressed  profound  surprise  and  regret  that  Dr.  Beh- 
rends  should  then  hold  convictions  as  to  Christian  bap- 
tism so  unlike  those  held  by  him  when  called  to  the 
pastorate  and,  in  their  view,  "so  out  of  harmony  with 
the  command  of  Christ  and  the  just  interpretation  of 
the  Scriptures  and  of  apostolic  usage."  To  this  they 
add  that  in  the  severance  of  the  pastoral  relation  they 
are  "mindful  of  a  cardinal  principle  of  Baptist  faith 
which  concedes  to  all  unfettered  religious  freedom," 
and  assure  him  of  their  prayer  that  God's  blessing  may 
attend  him  in  his  labors  with  other  denominations  with 
whom  he  may  be  in  accord,  "and  whom  we  would 
honor  and  love  with  unfeigned  sympathy  as  sincere, 
and  as  entitled  to  freedom  of  conscience  equally  with 
ourselves,  and  as  doing  in  their  several  spheres  vital 
service  for  Christ."  Dr.  Behrends  and  the  Baptists 
parted  in  mutual  love  and  with  mutual  regret. 

In  a  private  letter  written  a  year  ago  last  March, 
he  says:  "I  am  glad  to  add  that  my  old  friendships 
have  been  a  constant  source  of  joy  to  me,  very  few 
having  felt  it  their  duty  to  question  my  sincerity.  I 
left  for  the  sake  of  peace,  and  because  I  saw  that 
among  American  Baptists  there  were  none  who  would 
stand  on  my  ground  or  recognize  it  as  tenable.  I  am 
not  and  would  not  be  regarded  as  a  representative 
Congregationalist  in  many  minor  matters,  in  which  my 
Baptist  training  is  manifest  to  all,  but  I  am  left  to  do 

23 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

my  work  in  peace  and  receive  the  most  cordial  fellow- 
ship. Twenty-three  years  in  my  present  church  rela- 
tions, sixteen  of  them  in  Brooklyn,  have  convinced  me 
that  I  made  no  mistake,  while  I  have  every  reason  to 
be  grateful  that  my  early  Christian  life  and  my  theo- 
logical training  were  shaped  under  Baptist  influences. 
Many  of  the  questions  which  disturb  New  England 
theology  to-day  cause  me  no  uneasiness,  because  Dr. 
Robinson  steered  me  into  the  open  sea,  where  these 
squalls  do  not  blow." 

Now  that  Dr.  Behrends  is  dead,  possibly  an  increased 
number  will  join  with  him  and  others  in  the  thought 
that  some  of  the  criticisms  of  a  quarter  of  a  century 
ago  were  needlessly  severe.  To  dissent  emphatically 
from  a  brother's  religious  views  is  one  thing ;  to  follow 
him  torturingly  is  another  thing.  Also,  may  it  not  be 
that  sometimes  not  sufficient  allowance  is  made  for 
one's  former  religious  surroundings?  A  born-and- 
bred  Lutheran,  like  Dr.  Behrends,  would  hardly  be  ex- 
pected, from  human  point  of  view,  to  be  as  thorough 
a  Baptist — whatever  that  may  mean — as  one  with, 
perhaps,  less  real  intelligence,  who  had  never  lived 
outside  a  Baptist  family. 

Dr.  Behrends  was  a  man  of  exceptionally  great  pulpit 
power ;  he  was  a  deep  and  careful  thinker ;  he  has  left 
a  broad  and  deep  mark  as  a  minister  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ.  It  is  an  honor  to  the  Baptist  ministry  that 
he  was  once  one  of  its  number;  he  always  retained  a 
deep  and  abiding  love  for  his  Baptist  brethren.  His 
death  is  a  great  loss  to  the  religious  forces  of  the 
United  States, 


24 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 
The  Great  Preacher. 

[From  Christian  Work,  May  31,  1900.] 

In  the  death  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  A.  J.  F.  Behrends  no 
ordinary  man  passes  away,  and  no  one  denomination 
suffers  less.  As  his  sympathies  and  his  whole  relig- 
ions nature  struck  deeper  and  extended  higher  than 
any  denominational  reactments  and  vaster  than  the 
area  circumscribed  by  them,  so  his  loss  is  a  bereave- 
ment that  falls  upon  the  whole  Church.  We  say  this 
in  no  spirit  of  praise  for  the  dead  divine; — he  is  be- 
yond all  that,  and  to  praise  such  a  man,  it  is  no  mere 
hyperbole  to  say,  is  to  gild  refined  gold.  And  here 
we  may  say,  and  most  truly  so,  that  Dr.  Behrends  was 
not  only  in  the  widest  and  most  accurate  sense  of  the 
term  a  great  preacher,  but  he  was  one  whose  elements 
of  greatness  were  perceived  only  by  the  few.  Ordi- 
narily he  was  known  as  a  strong  preacher,  an  earnest 
preacher,  one  who  had  evidenced  his  power  by  success- 
fully succeeding  such  a  remarkable  man  as  Henry 
Martyn  Scudder,  preacher,  physician,  missionary, 
naturalist,  poet,  of  deep  sympathetic  nature,  high  men- 
tal equipment  and  resourceful  abilities.  And  although 
it  may  seem  a  great  deal  to  say,  it  is,  we  believe,  quite 
within  the  bounds  of  exact  fact  to  assert  that  among 
the  hundred  thousand  and  more  ministers  in  this  coun- 
try, in  mental  equipment  no  man  could  successfully 
assert  a  claim  of  superiority  to  the  great  man  who  has 
just  passed  away.  From  the  precocious  age  of  fifteen, 
when  he  mastered  Bledsoe's  Theodicy,  to  the  close  of 
his  life,  he  acquired  the  whole  gamut  of  the  philoso- 
phies :   Hamilton,   Kant,  Hegel,  Lotze,  and   McCosh ; 

25 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

Caird,  Porter,  Buller  and  Martineau  were  familiar  to 
him,  and  were  absorbed  and  mastered  by  him,  while 
he  reveled  in  Carlyle,  delighted  in  Goethe,  laughed  in 
Dickens,  and  found  refreshment  and  stimulation  and 
rest  in  Homer,  Dante,  Milton,  Wordsworth,  Tennyson, 
in  Lecky,  Rawlinson,  Sayce ;  it  may  be  said  everything 
was  grain  that  came  into  his  hopper  and  was  converted 
into  nourishing,  stimulating  food. 

We  cannot  fail  to  notice  one  remarkable  phase  of 
Dr.  Behrends'  character :  his  broad  sympathetic  nature. 
It  was  his  wonderful  development  in  this  direction 
which  gave  him  his  sense  of  proportion  by  which  he 
reversed  the  perspective  of  your  narrov^  hyper-denomi- 
nationalist.  Instead  of  the  denomination  towering  in 
the  foreground,  as  it  does  with  so  many  lesser  minds, 
with  him  Christ  and  his  Gospel  were  everything,  while 
denominationalism  was  only  the  indistinguishable  in- 
finitesimal point  in  the  distance.  It  was  this  spirit,  this 
equipment,  that  carried  him,  in  the  intensity  of  his  feel- 
ing and  in  the  full  conviction  of  his  reason,  at  the 
late  Ecumenical  Council,  to  break  out  into  his  passion- 
ate utterances  which  carried  his  hearers  by  storm. 
Right  in  the  midst  of  the  movement,  and  at  the  very 
time  when  wild  discussion  was  going  on  elsewhere 
over  terminologies,  and  haggling  was  seen  over  creeds, 
Dr.  Behrends,  while  confessing  to  his  belief  in  creeds, 
said:  "I  will  sign  any  creed  that  will  permit  me  to 
sign  all  creeds.  But  unless  you  will  permit  me  to 
sign  all  creeds,  then  I  refuse  to  sign  any  of  them." 
And  again  he  declared:  "We  must  come  back  to  the 
New  Testament;  our  religion  must  centralize  in  per- 
sonal devotion  to  the  personal  Christ.    He  is  our  Mas- 

26 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

tcr,  He  alone.  We  must  stop  deifying  dogma.  We 
must  stop  deifying-  ritual."  Not  that  our  preacher 
would  do  away  with  creeds,  but  he  would  have  them 
centered  upon  the  fundamentals,  not  upon  the  tenta- 
tive philosophies  of  religion;  in  other  words,  as  he 
has  been  quoted  in  substance,  one  creed  should  include 
all  creeds,  and  it  should  not  be  skeletonized  specu- 
lation 

Of  providence,  foreknowledge,  will  and  fate, 
Fixed  fate,  free-will,  foreknowledge  absolute, 

and  all  finding  no  end,  "in  wandering  mazes  lost." 

Up  to  the  very  last,  Dr.  Behrends  gave  close  atten- 
tion to  the  scientific  discussions  of  the  day,  and  their 
bearing  upon  religious  thought.  While  for  a  time  his 
thought  inclined  him  to  a  more  technical  interpretation 
of  Scripture  than  would  seem  to  accord  with  his  wide 
horizon  line,  we  believe  in  the  last  few  years  of  his  life 
these  views  were  modified,  and  with  the  modification 
came  a  relief  from  restriction,  and  the  development  of 
the  broader  view  which  placed  his  ratiocination  in  such 
complete  accord  with  his  wide  sympathies  as  to  bring 
him  intellectual  rest,  while  his  power  with  men  was 
correspondingly  increased. 

Taken  away  at  sixty-one,  dead  in  the  plentitude  of 
his  powers,  just  as  the  fruit  had  ripened,  the  pastor 
of  a  church  united  upon  him,  a  power  in  the  pulpit, 
a  comfort  and  stimulant  in  the  pastorate,  a  strong  man, 
a  preacher  of  righteousness  with  whom  scheme  and 
''plan"  and  philosophy  were  less  than  love  and  light 
and  life,  one  with  whom  the  Gospel,  and  only  the  Gos- 
pel, made  radiant  the  pathway  to  the  skies,  our  preacher 

27 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

passes  away  and  leaves  a  lasting  beneficent  influence 
behind  as  he  now  sees  the  King  in  His  Beauty  in  that 
land  which  for  many  of  us  is  not  very  far  off. 


The  Scope  of  Dr.  Behrends'  Ministry. 

[From  Brooklyn  Eagle^  May  22,  1900.] 

Dr.  Behrends  was  a  modest  man,  and  most  delicate 
in  the  performance  of  many  of  the  duties  incidental 
to  his.  pastorate.  This  was  particularly  noticeable  on 
the  occasions  of  receiving  members  into  the  church 
for  their  first  time,  in  the  baptism  of  infants  and  adults 
alike,  in  the  marriage  ceremony,  and  in  funeral  obser- 
vances. He  studied  the  canons  of  good  taste  in  every 
direction,  sometimes  even  to  the  point  of  erring,  in 
cases  where  the  advice  of  over-punctilious  persons 
prevailed.  Left  to  his  own  individual  judgment  he 
was  level  headed,  and  invariably  a  reliable  and  wise 
counsellor.  He  excelled  as  a  powerful  preacher,  one 
who  dared  to  give  utterance  to  his  convictions  after  he 
had  calmly  weighed  them  in  his  study. 

His  last  exhibition  of  this  was  given  in  his  cele- 
brated address  at  Carnegie  Hall  on  May  i.  That  was 
not  a  spontaneous  outflow  of  an  over-excited  brain. 
The  ground  he  assumed  was  all  thought  out,  except  as 
to  some  rhetorical  effects,  beforehand.  His  earnest- 
ness was  as  deliberate  as  it  was  bold  and  fearless.  His 
recent  sermon  on  "The  Incarnate  Christ"  is  one  of  the 
freest  conceptions  on  this  subject  known  in  modern 

28 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

theology.  Its  statements  are  worked  out  with  logical 
keenness  and  close  sequence,  and  the  doctrine  of  the 
incarnation  is  unfolded  with  a  plainness  of  diction 
which  commends  itself  at  once  to  the  commonest  as 
well  as  the  most  cultured  understanding.  His  pulpit 
deliverances  were  never  ''over  his  people's  heads,"  but 
always  addressed  not  only  with  the  evident  desire  that 
the  speaker  should  be  comprehended,  but  with  the 
manifest  determination  that  his  Master's  message 
should  be  received  as  the  dictum  of  Jesus  Christ,  and 
not  the  say-so  of  Dr.  Behrends. 

In  1888  and  1889  Dr.  Behrends  gave  a  course  of 
sermons  the  general  title  of  which  was  "Birdseye 
Views  of  the  Bible."  That  was  a  notable  undertaking, 
and  one  in  the  prosecution  of  which  he  said  his  mind 
underwent  a  new  discipline,  and  he  acquired  new  light 
upon  the  unquestionable  inspiration  of  the  Scriptures. 
The  preaching  of  that  series  of  discourses  at  first  con- 
fronted him  with  new  difficulties  as  to  method  of  treat- 
ment, born  of  the  increasing  magnitude  assumed  by 
the  theme  itself.  He  over-mastered  every  obstacle, 
and  the  discourses,  which  were  printed  in  the  Eagle, 
were  marvels  of  compactness  in  style  of  thought.  The 
pastoral  spirit  of  those  sermons  may  be  worthy  a  single 
illustration — an  excerpt  from  the  "Birdseye  View  of 
the  Psalms,"  as  follows : 

The  Psalter  is  a  perpetual  crucifixion  followed  by  a 
perpetual  resurrection  ;  and  it  is  this  that  has  given  to 
the  Psalms  thtir  infinite  pathos  and  abiding  power. 
What  now  do  these  noble  Psalms  contain?  I  cannot 
undertake  to  answer  that  question  for  you.  You  must 
read  them  for  yourselves  alone  and  when  your  heart 

29 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

is  heavy.  They  are  a  grand  covert  when  the  storms 
burst  over  you  and  the  depths  are  broken  up,  when 
heart  and  flesh  fail  you.  They  are  pervaded  through 
and  through  with  a  vivid  sense  of  the  Divine  presence. 
God  is  always  near.  That  is  the  golden  thread  upon 
which  the  pearls  of  song  are  strung,  and  the  God  of 
the  Psalms  is  a  being  of  wondrous  majesty  and  gen- 
tleness, with  whom  there  is  forgiveness  that  He  may 
be  feared,  so  strange  is  the  grace  of  pardon,  so  sweet 
is  its  assurance.  In  the  Psalms  it  is  always  the  honest 
soul  that  pleads.  The  suppliant's  abasement  is  never 
his  debasement.    He  is  kingliest  when  he  is  lowliest. 

Dr.  Behrends'  series  of  discoures  on  "Socialism"  at- 
tracted immense  congregations.  It  was  evident 
throughout  the  series  that  the  preacher  knew  what  he 
was  about,  and  that  if  logical  argument  was  needed 
to  dispose  of  the  flimsy  assumptions  of  professed  doubt 
and  criticism,  there  was  an  abundant  supply.  It  was 
remarkable  that  in  the  publication  of  these  deliverances 
in  the  Eagle  there  was  not  a  single  attempt  to  contro- 
vert the  work  done  in  the  Central  Church  pulpit. 

A  sermon  preached  on  May  15,  1887,  on  'The  In- 
corruptible Life,"  made  a  profound  impression  upon 
those  who  heard  it,  and  in  order  that  the  people  might 
have  its  comforting  assurances  in  their  possession,  it 
was  published  in  tasteful  pamphlet  form.  An  extract 
from  this  sermon  shows  what  Dr.  Behrends'  convic- 
tions were  in  regard  to  the  future  of  the  Christian's 
life.  He  assumed  that  the  capacities  of  the  spirit  were 
enlarged  and  intensified.    Of  departed  spirits,  he  said : 

They  are  said  to  be  at  rest,  with  Christ,  and  in 
Paradise.  They  are  at  rest,  because  forever  freed 
from  the  infirmities  of  their  mortal   state,  delivered 

30 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

from  the  shackles  of  a  diseased  and  dying  body ;  with- 
out heartache,  or  headache,  or  handachc.  They  arc 
with  Christ,  in  a  higher  fellowship  and  activity  tliaii 
was  their  privilege  here.  There  was  more  power  in 
the  one  day  of  Pentecost  than  in  all  the  thirty-four 
years  of  our  Lord's  mortal  ministry.  One  hour  of 
Paradise  is  worth  more  than  a  lifetime  on  earth, 
though  prolonged  to  fourscore  years.  Knowledge  is 
clearer  and  more  comprehensive.  Love  is  more  in- 
tense and  holy.  Joy  is  deeper.  Activity  is  more 
varied  and  refreshing.  But  your  poor  heart  cries  out : 
"Am  I,  then,  forgotten  in  this  flood  of  joy?"  For- 
gotten ?  No !  a  thousand  times.  No !  They  know  you 
are  coming,  though  they  know  not  when ;  and  at  every 
knock  upon  the  death  portals  they  wonder  whether  you 
have  come.  They  know  you  are  coming,  nor  will  you 
need  to  wait  for  them  long  when  your  heart  has  ceased 
its  beating,  and  your  surprises  under  their  loving 
guidance  will  be  a  new  joy  to  them.  They  know  you 
are  coming — coming  from  toil  and  tears  to  rest  and 
laughter,  from  loneliness  and  heartaches  to  blessed  fel- 
lowships and  a  divine  guidance.  Your  coming  will 
increase  their  blessedness.  For  they  are  not  perfect 
without  us.  .  .  .  There  is  to  be  a  last  deathbed, 
as  once  there  was  a  first.  And  when  the  last  grave 
shall  have  been  filled,  while  the  bereaved  perchance 
stand  about  it  in  chastened  grief  and  hope,  the  great 
eternal  transfiguration  shall  chase  away  the  night  for 
ever. 

It  was  on  the  day  of  his  last  appearance  in  the 
Central  Church  pulpit  that  Dr.  Behrends  said  that 
when  he  struck  loose  from  the  Baptists  as  a  denom- 
ination in  Cleveland,  he  stood  ready  for  an  open  door, 
and  determined  to  accept  the  first  call  that  came  to 
him,  whether  it  was  Methodist,  Presbyterian  or  Con- 
gregationalist.    The  call  came  from  the  Union  Church 

31 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

in  Providence,  R.  I.,  and  he  accepted  it  gladly.  "All  I 
want,"  said  he,  "is  the  open  door  where  I  can  preach 
to  perishing  souls  the  everlasting  blessedness  of  that 
Christ  who  said,  'Whosoever  liveth  and  believeth  in 
Me  shall  never  die,  for  God  so  loved  the  world  that 
He  gave  His  only  begotten  Son  that  whosoever  be- 
lieveth in  Him  should  not  perish,  but  have  everlasting 
Hfe.'  " 

As  a  Congrcgationalist,  Dr.  Behrends  accepted  the 
order  and  practice  of  that  body  as  most  available  for 
the  exercise  of  perfect  freedom  in  preaching  the  Gos- 
pel. His  views  as  a  Congrcgationalist  were  fully  and 
eloquently  exploited  in  his  address  delivered  before  the 
Congregational  Club  of  New  Haven,  Conn.,  on  the 
occasion  of  the  three  hundredth  anniversary  of  the 
Martyrs'  Church,  organized  in  London,  1592;  and 
again  before  the  Manhattan  Conference  of  Congrega- 
tional Churches  at  the  autumnal  meeting  in  the  South 
Congregational  Church,  November  18,  1897. 

In  celebrating  the  seventeenth  year  of  his  pastorate 
in  the  Central  Congregational  Church  on  February 
25  last,  his  sermon  was  affectionate  and  earnest.  In- 
cidentally he  alluded  to  the  work  he  had  done  in  vin- 
dication of  the  integrity  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  and 
in  concluding  said :  "The  Scriptures  master  me  by 
their  contents;  they  hold  me  captive  by  their  tone; 
Jesus  Christ,  in  whom  they  culminate,  is  so  full  of 
grace  and  truth,  so  majestic  in  character,  so  authori- 
tative in  word  and  so  mighty  in  deed,  that  He  wins 
and  holds  my  absolute  confidence.  There  I  stand,  and 
the  book  which  He  bids  me  read  and  search  I  will 
surrender  at  no  man's  bidding."/- 


Wakburkjn  Avenue  Baptist  Church,  YuiNKERs,  N.  Y. 
(Dr.  Behrends'  First  Pastorate) 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 
Dr.  Behrends  in  Cleveland. 

In  1883  the  people  of  the  First  Baptist  Church  of 
Cleveland,  Ohio,  observed  with  spirited  ceremony  its 
semi-centennial.  An  account  of  the  observances  and 
several  papers  concerning  the  history  of  the  church 
were  gathered  into  a  volume  and  published.  Among 
these  is  a  paper  on  "The  Pastorates  from  1846  to 
1883,"  by  Mr.  L.  Prentiss.  The  portions  devoted  to 
the  work  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Behrends  are  as  follows : 

On  June  6,  1873,  Dr.  A.  J.  F.  Behrends  became  the 
pastor  of  the  church,  in  answer  to  its  unanimous  call, 
and  continued  in  that  office  until  Februar-  i,  1876. 
The  church  life  and  work  were  fully  maintained  dur- 
ing his  ministry.  There  were  74  baptized,  105  re- 
ceived by  letter,  and  17  by  experience — in  all,  196,  in 
his  pastorate.  His  earnest  desire  for  the  conversion 
of  souls,  and  for  the  growth  of  the  church  in  moral 
and  religious  power  was  very  great,  and  found  special 
expression  during  the  fall  and  winter  of  1874-5,  in 
the  meetings  then  held. 

In  1874  the  Idaka  Sunday  School  was  organized 
and  received  his  hearty  indorsement  and  cooperation. 
The  school  had  an  attendance  of  about  128  scholars 
and  teachers  at  its  commencement,  and  now  has  an 
average  attendance  of  about  255  scholars  and  teachers, 
and  is  growing  in  strength  and  interest. 

The  Trinity  Baptist  Church  was  organized  during 
the  pastorate  of  Dr.  Behrends,  and  received  his  earnest 
aid  and  encouragement,  and  the  church  again  spared 
some  of  its  valuable  members  to  aid  in  the  establish- 
ment and  success  of  the  new  interest. 

33 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

As  a  pastor,  Dr.  Behrends  was  friendly,  unassum- 
ing-, and  sincerely  interested  in  the  people  of  his 
charge.  He  was  a  man  of  strong,  large  nature,  and 
great  earnestness,  energy,  independence,  and  moral 
courage.  Of  a  devout  spirit,  his  prayers  were  specially 
impressive  and  helpful.  As  a  preacher  he  possessed 
rare  power  of  the  most  solid  character.  United  with 
a  clear  and  strong  grasp  of  his  subject,  he  had  a  full, 
ready  and  choice  command  of  language  in  which  to 
clothe  and  enforce  his  strong  thoughts.  He  was  ac- 
customed to  go  directly  to  the  heart  of  his  subject,  and 
to  arouse  attention  and  interest  at  once,  by  the  clear- 
ness, earnestness,  and  power  of  its  presentation.  There 
was  nothing  of  the  merely  sensational  in  his  preach- 
ing; but,  on  the  other  hand,  he  always  addressed 
himself  directly  to  the  best  judgment  and  convictions 
of  his  hearers.  To  an  intelligent  and  thoughtful 
church  like  this,  such  preaching  was  not  only  inter- 
esting, but  it  gave  the  truth  larger  and  stronger  mean- 
ing, and  much  of  its  force  has  gone  into  the  thinking 
and  lives  of  his  hearers,  as  living  forces  for  good. — 
History  of  the  First  Baptist  Church,  Cleveland,  Ohio. 


34 


PART  II. 


The  Temple  and  the  Cross. 

THE  Temple  did  not  save  the  nation  any  more 
than  the  throne  of  David  had  done.  The  priest- 
hood proved  to  be  as  broken  a  reed  for  national 
support  as  had  the  royalty.  The  Temple  v^as  doomed 
v^hen  men  came  to  glory  in  its  marble  and  gold.  It 
v^as  desecrated  by  Antiochus  and  ground  into  dust 
by  the  Romans.  Neither  in  throne  nor  temple  was 
Israel's  hope  and  refuge,  but  in  Him  w^hose  servant 
David  was,  and  whose  glory  filled  the  sanctuary. 
Alas!  Israel  discerned  not  the  hour  of  its  immortal 
coronation.  The  King  came  at  last,  but  in  such  hum- 
ble guise  that  His  own  received  Him  not  and  crucified 
Him  as  a  blasphemer.  Not  even  yet  doth  Israel 
behold  its  deliverance,  its  true  return  from  a  captivity 
of  more  than  eighteen  honored  centuries,  and  its 
vocation  to  a  mightier  mission  than  any  that  dawned 
upon  David  or  Malachi.  But  Jehovah  has  not  cast 
off  His  people.  They  shall  look  on  Him  whom  they 
have  pierced.  They  shall  be  healed  of  their  blindness. 
They  shall  return  in  holy  repentance  and  in  ardent 
faith.  Then  shall  they  see  that  neither  the  throne 
of  David,  nor  the  Temple  of  Solomon,  but  the  cross 
of  Jesus  Christ  is  the  magnet  by  which  the  seed  of 
Abraham  is  to  conquer  the  world. 

35 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 
The  Edict  of  Cyrus. 

I  doubt  whether  Isaiah  and  Jeremiah,  Zachariah  and 
Haggai,  Zerubbabel,  Ezra  and  Nehemiah,  measured 
the  full  significance  of  the  time  in  which  they  lived, 
and  of  the  work  which  they  prosecuted  with  such 
tireless  energy.  But  subsequent  events  have  made  it 
plain  that  these  Jewish  patriots  and  peers  discovered 
what  their  heathen  contemporaries  did  not  suspect — 
the  tremendous  and  revolutionary  importance  of  the 
birth  of  the  Persian  Empire.  It  is  an  intuition  so  re- 
markable, confined  to  the  prophets  of  this  period,  that 
its  existence  among  them  points  to  a  Divine  revelation. 
More  than  2,400  years  have  passed  since  the  edict  of 
Cyrus  sent  a  thrill  of  wonder  and  joy  through  the 
hearts  of  the  Jewish  exiles.  Cyrus  had  been  king  for 
nearly  twenty  years  when  he  marched  his  victorious 
army  against  the  proud  city  of  Babylon.  In  the  North 
and  far  West  his  arms  had  been  victorious.  Assyria 
had  been  completely  subdued.  At  Sardis,  Cresus, 
the  proud  and  rebellious  king  of  Lydia,  had  been 
humbled.  Only  Babylon  remained  defiant,  strong, 
wealthy  and  proud,  boasting  of  a  history  of  2,000 
years.  Babylon  was  the  Rome  of  the  Orient,  the 
headquarters  of  Asiatic  despotism  and  Asiatic  idola- 
trous power.  Its  antiquity  always  gave  to  it  a  certain 
pre-eminence,  and  under  Nebuchadnezzar  it  vaulted 
into  unchallenged  supremacy.  No  one  dreamed  that 
the  city  could  ever  lose  its  prestige.  You  know  how, 
at  a  later  day  and  for  many  centuries,  Rome  secured 
and  held  the  place  of  the  older  city.  Rome  became  the 
seat  and  center  of  political  and  religious  power,  bear- 

36 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

ing  sway  over  a  hundred  million  souls.  Rome's  history 
was  so  wonderful  that  she  became  known  as  the 
Eternal  City,  just  as  Babylon  had  been  named  Lucifer, 
the  Son  of  the  Morning.  And  when  Rome  fell  a  prey 
to  the  barbarian  invaders,  when  the  Huns  plundered 
the  Empire,  and  the  Goths  sat  in  the  palaces  of  the 
Csesars,  and  the  Vandals  ravaged  the  land,  amazement 
and  terror  filled  all  hearts,  and  even  Jerome  feared 
for  the  result.  It  was  then  that  Augustine  wrote  his 
"City  of  God,"  the  noblest  of  all  his  works,  which 
stamps  him  as  the  Isaiah  of  his  time,  and  in  which  he 
rallied  the  hopes  of  his  Christian  countrymen.  Nine 
hundred  years  before  a  similar  storm  had  burst  upon 
Babylonia,  and  the  earlier  crisis  was  in  some  re- 
spects more  important  than  the  later  one. 


Overthrow  of  Babylon. 

The  most  cruel  and  debasing  idolatry  was  en- 
trenched in  Babylon,  and  the  city's  fame  gave  to 
idolatry  in  general  a  certain  pre-eminence  and  claim 
to  supremacy.  Its  overthrow  came  from  the  North, 
from  a  race  with  simple  manners  and  with  a  simple 
religion.  Cyrus  was  the  Attila  of  Asia,  the  scourge 
of  God,  whose  stinging  blows  brought  Babylon  to 
the  dust.  The  Persians  lived  in  an  inhospitable  region, 
inured  to  hardship,  famed  for  three  things,  their 
bravery,  their  energy  and  their  truthfulness.  They 
were  dualists  in  religion,  believing  in  an  Evil  and  in 
a  Good  God,  but  worshipping  only  the  latter.  They 
were  at  heart  monotheists,  and  this  accounts  for  their 

37 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

friendliness  to  the  Jews.  Their  accession  to  imperial 
power,  therefore,  was  both  a  political  and  a  religious 
revolution.  It  brought  the  Indo-European  races  to 
the  front.  It  ended  the  political  supremacy  of  the 
Hametic  and  the  Shemetic  tribes  of  Egypt,  Assyria  and 
Babylonia,  and  placed  the  scepter  in  the  hands  of  the 
sons  of  Japhet,  passing  from  the  Persian  to  the  Greek, 
the  Roman,  the  Teuton  and  the  Anglo-Saxon.  And 
with  this  change  of  empire  came  the  overthrow  of  the 
ancient  idolatry,  a  shock  from  which  it  never  recov- 
ered, and  opening  a  free  and  wider  path  to  the  mono- 
theistic faith.  The  news  spread  like  wildfire,  and 
wherever  it  was  heard  it  produced  amazement,  mingled 
with  terror  and  gladness.  The  supporters  of  the  old 
regime  trembled.  The  oppressed  were  glad.  The 
tidings  seemed  almost  too  good  to  be  true,  for  when 
Nebo  stooped  and  Bel  bowed  down  it  seemed  as  if 
the  millennium  had  come.  The  prophetic  utterances 
that  accompanied  the  event,  or  which  predicted  its 
near  advent,  are  keyed  to  the  highest  pitch  of  triumph. 
The  dead  in  their  graves  are  represented  as  taking  part 
in  the  universal  jubilee. 


Birth  of  the  Synagogue. 

In  seven  months  Nehemiah  had  finished  his  task, 
and  then  he  joined  witli  Ezra  in  pushing  the  work  of 
reHgious  reform.  The  book  of  the  law  was  read  and 
expounded  as  it  ever  afterward  continued  to  be  in 
the  synagogues.  All  foreign  elements  were  eliminated 
from  the  domestic  life  of  the  people.     Regular  pro- 

38 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

vision  was  made  for  the  service  of  the  sanctuary,  and 
the  observance  of  the  Sabbath  was  restored  and  vigor- 
ously enforced.  In  all  this  Nclicniiah  found  a  vast 
amount  of  stolid  indifference  and  even  resistance.  His 
prayer,  "Remember  me,  O  my  God,  for  good,"  with 
which  he  closes  his  account,  sounds  like  a  lamentation. 
It  is  the  sad  appeal  of  a  man  whose  patriotic  devotion 
and  religious  zeal  had  met  with  scanty  sympathy  and 
support.  But  the  work  of  Zerubbabel,  of  Ezra  and 
of  Nehemiah  lasted.  The  temple  maintained  its  as- 
cendancy. Mixed  marriages  were  placed  under  the 
ban.  The  Sabbath  was  observed  with  ceremonial 
exactness. 

The  synagogue,  with  its  systematic  interpretation 
of  the  law,  became  a  permanent  institution.  The 
scribe  became  a  leading  figure  in  the  reconstructed 
society.  The  character  of  the  Jew  assumed  a  kind  of 
hardness  and  narrowness  contrasting  unfavorably 
with  the  nation's  earlier  life.  But  the  Scriptures 
assumed  prominence,  and  through  their  wide  distri- 
bution in  the  Greek  language,  the  Jew  gave  to  his 
faith  a  universal  though  secret  ascendancy  which  gave 
a  mighty  impulse  to  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel.  For 
on  its  human  side  the  synagogue  was  the  forerunner  of 
the  Christian  Church.  It  was  in  the  synagogue  that 
our  Lord  was  trained  in  the  knowledge  of  the  Old 
Testament  Scriptures;  for  the  synagogue  was  the 
great  popular  library  of  Christ's  time.  It  was  in  the 
synagogue  of  Nazareth  that  He  preached  His  first  ser- 
mon, and  with  the  synagogue  a  large  part  of  His 
ministry  was  identified.  It  was  to  the  synagogues  that 
the  Apostles  resorted  in  their  missionary  travels. 

39 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

The  organization  of  the  synagogue  was  reproduced 
in  that  of  the  church.  The  service  of  the  former  gave 
shape  to  the  worship  of  the  latter,  concluding  with 
the  Lord's  Supper,  and  held  on  the  first  day  of  the 
week.  The  officers  of  the  synagogue  reappear  in  the 
elders  and  deacons  of  the  Apostolic  Churches.  And 
the  synagogue  was  the  creation  of  Ezra,  who  is  re- 
vered by  the  Jews  as  a  second  Moses  and  as  greater 
than  Elijah.  Here,  in  the  synagogue,  where  the  Old 
Bible  was  read  and  explained,  is  the  formal  link  be- 
tween Judaism  and  Christianity,  and  though  many 
readers  yawn  as  they  peruse  the  pages  of  Ezra  and 
Nehemiah,  wondering  why  these  books  should  have  so 
exalted  a  place,  the  bells  of  the  Holy  Sabbath  never 
summon  us  to  worship  without  an  unconscious  tribute 
to  the  labors  of  these  earnest  and  devoted  servants 
of  the  Lord. 


An  Axiom  to  Remember. 

Punishment  is  what  we  deserve.     Chastisement  is 
what  we  need. 


Grace  to  Live,  and  Grace  to  Die. 

I  have  heard  people  say,  'T  fear  I  have  not  grace  to 
die."  You  do  not  need  it  till  the  time  comes.  You 
need  the  grace  to  live,  the  grace  to  work,  the  grace 
to  wait.  It  will  be  time  enough  when  your  summons 
comes  to  have  grace  to  die. 

40 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

Our  Own  Will. 

The  death  of  Christ  is  sufficient  for  all,  but  effective 
only  to  those  who  believe.  Christ  is  the  second  Adam 
or  head  of  the  race.  As  in  Adam  all  die,  so  in  Christ 
shall  all  be  made  to  live.  There  is  nothing  in  the  way 
of  our  salvation  through  Jesus  Christ  but  our  own 
will. 


The  Story  of  Esther. 

The  Persian  king  is  a  tyrant  and  a  brute.  Haman 
is  unscrupulous  and  cruel.  Our  judgment  of  Esther 
must  be  one  of  qualified  approval  at  best,  though 
some  of  the  criticisms  upon  her  character  and  conduct 
have  been  unwarrantably  severe.  She  certainly  ap- 
pears in  a  much  more  favorable  light  than  her  com- 
panions, the  noblest  and  purest  inmate  of  the  harem; 
but  we  cannot  reconcile  ourselves  to  the  personal 
degradation  in  which  she  permitted  herself  to  be 
involved.  The  most  that  can  be  said  is  that  her  be- 
havior was  passive,  that  she  resorted  to  no  intrigue, 
that  she  was  the  victim  of  circumstances  in  an  Oriental 
despotism  over  which  she  had  no  control,  and  that  she 
retained  her  simplicity  of  character  amid  the  most 
unfavorable  surroundings.  But  she  certainly  remains 
inferior  to  a  woman  like  Ruth.  Mordecai  too,  with  all 
his  sturdy  qualities,  his  fearlessness,  and  loyalty,  and 
patriotism,  reveals  a  certain  hardness  and  haughtiness, 
and  an  easy  compliance  with  the  polygamous  customs 
of  the  Persian  court,  which  do  not  make  him  a  model 
character.      There   is   a   good   deal   of   the   ambitious 

41 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

political  rival  in  his  treatment  of  Haman  and  the  eager- 
ness with  which  he  supplants  the  disgraced  and  fallen 
prince;  and  his  surrender  of  his  niece,  even  if  we 
suppose  him  to  have  been  innocent  of  complicity,  is 
not  creditable  to  him.  There  is  an  absence  of  fineness 
in  the  narrative  contrasting  with  the  earlier  histories 
of  Joseph  and  Ruth. 

I  agree  with  Luther,  that  there  is  a  good  deal  of 
"heathen  naughtiness"  in  the  book  of  Esther.  I  have 
no  very  great  admiration  for  its  characters.  To  mo 
it  is  an  unfounded  and  absurd  fancy  that  there  is  any- 
thing Messianic  or  Christian  in  the  story,  and  that 
Esther  represents  the  church  coming  to  the  Gentiles. 
Such  a  use  of  this  narrative  is  shocking  to  the  moral 
sense,  and  calculated  to  undermine  reverence  for  the 
Word  of  God.  It  ought  not  to  be  difficult  for  a  candid 
reader  to  extract  the  moral  of  the  little  book,  and  to 
discover  the  reason  why  it  claims  a  place  in  the  Old 
Testament  Scriptures.  These  Scriptures  trace  the 
dealings  of  God  with  Israel,  to  whom  He  gave  His 
law,  and  of  whom  Christ  was  born.  They  tell  us  not 
only  what  He  said  to  them,  but  also  what  He  did  for 
them.  They  show  us  that  while  He  chastened  them 
oft  and  sorely,  He  did  not  abandon  them,  nor  did  He 
permit  their  enemies  to  crush  them  out.  Against 
Pharaoh  He  raised  up  Moses,  against  Ahab  and  Jeze- 
bel He  raised  up  Elijah,  against  Haman  He  raised 
up  Esther  and  Mordecai.  And  in  the  last  case  the 
imperfection  of  His  instruments  only  throws  into 
stronger  relief  His  eternal  and  tender  guardianship. 
The  lesson  of  the  book  is  an  impersonal  one.  It  has 
been  fitly  called  the  ''Romance  of  Providence,  the  Book 

42 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

of  the  Hidden  Hand."  It  is  a  tight  and  tangled  knot 
that  is  here  unexpectedly  and  curiously  unraveled. 
The  devices  of  the  wicked  are  brought  to  naught  and 
they  are  snared  in  the  net  which  they  have  spread 
for  the  innocent.  Haman  and  his  sons  swing  on  the 
gallows  which  he  had  erected  for  Mordecai;  and  by 
a  strange  combination  of  trifling  circumstances,  a 
people  that  was  to  have  been  exterminated  is  not  only 
delivered,  but  commended  and  honored  in  an  imperial 
edict.  This  is  the  one  great  and  permanent  lesson  of 
the  story,  that 

"There  is  a  Providence  that  shapes  our  ends 
Rough  hew  them  how  we  may." 


Daniel  the  Prophet  of  Deeds. 

In  the  Hebrew  Bible  the  book  of  Daniel  is  placed 
among  the  Hagiographa,  the  Holy  Writings,  pamph- 
lets that  content  themselves  with  the  narration  of  per- 
sonal experiences,  or  the  description  of  historical 
events,  leaving  the  reader  to  discover  their  meaning 
and  importance  for  himself.  They  fall  into  two  general 
classes,  the  poetical  and  the  historical.  To  the  former 
belong  Job,  the  Psalms,  Proverbs,  Ecclesiastes,  the 
Song  of  Solomon  and  the  Lamentations  of  Jeremiah; 
and  in  their  poetic  literature  we  can  trace  all  the  vary- 
ing moods  of  the  spiritual  life  of  the  time;  the  per- 
plexities with  which  thought  wrestled,  and  the  reason- 
ing by  which  their  solution  was  sought;  the  restless 
search  of  the  human  heart  for  an  abiding  peace,  and 

43 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

the  conclusion  of  the  long  and  painful  quest.  In  these 
poetical  books,  the  most  thoughtful  and  devout  men 
of  the  time  take  us  into  their  confidence,  and  give  us 
the  benefit  of  their  ripest  experiences.  The  historical 
group  contains  Ruth,  Ezra,  Nehemiah,  Esther,  Daniel, 
and  the  Chronicles. 

These  books  are  descriptive  of  events,  as  the  poetical 
books  are  descriptive  of  experiences.  Or  to  phrase 
the  distinction  in  another  way,  the  methods  of  com- 
position in  the  poetical  books  is  psychologic  and  ana- 
lytic ;  in  the  historical  books  it  is  pictorial.  In  the  one 
case  we  deal  with  thoughts ;  in  the  other  case  we  deal 
with  things.  Thus  Ruth  photographs  the  domestic  life 
of  David's  ancestors.  Ezra  and  Nehemiah  picture  the 
national  movement  which  resulted  in  the  rebuilding 
of  the  temple  and  the  planting  of  the  synagogue. 
Chronicles  traces  the  importance  of  the  temple  in  Jew- 
ish history  from  the  time  of  David  to  the  first  Cyrus. 
Esther  emphasizes  the  unexpected  and  remarkable 
deliverance  of  the  Jews — of  the  dispersion  from  the 
insane  fury  of  an  Oriental  tyrant.  In  all  this  there  is 
no  preaching.  The  moral  is  not  intended  nor  ap- 
pended, because  the  story  is  supposed  to  convey  its 
own  lesson.  It  is  the  revelation  of  God  in  works  not 
in  words ;  in  deeds  rather  than  in  doctrines.  The  book 
of  Daniel  belongs  to  this  class,  and  is  placed  between 
Esther  and  Ezra,  simply  because  its  style  is  descriptive, 
not  didactic.  It  simply  outlines  the  personal  fortunes 
of  a  man  whose  life  spans  the  entire  period  of  the 
Babylonian  captivity,  and  tells  us  what  outlook  into  the 
future  was  given  to  him  of  the  world's  political  history. 
The  visions  of  Daniel  constitute  a  philosophy  of  his- 

44 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

tory  valuable  as  the  contribution  of  a  man  whose 
abilities  secured  for  him  high  official  station  in  the 
government  of  his  conquerors. 


Prayer  a  Dialogue. 
Prayer  is  not  a  monologue;  it  is  a  dialogue. 


Daniel's  Character. 

It  was  during  the  first  Babylonian  invasion,  in  the 
year  606  B.  C,  eighteen  years  before  the  final  destruc- 
tion of  Jerusalem,  provoked  by  the  treachery  of  Zede- 
kiah,  that  Daniel  was  carried  away  to  the  imperial  city 
on  the  banks  of  the  Euphrates.  He  was  of  princely 
lineage,  if  not  of  royal  birth.  His  last  recorded  vision 
dates  in  the  third  year  of  Cyrus,  533  B.  C,  seventy- 
three  years  after  his  removal  from  his  native  land. 
If  we  suppose  him  to  have  been  16  or  18  years  old 
at  that  time,  he  must  have  lived  to  be  90  years  old. 
During  all  these  years  nothing  occurs  to  mar  the  sim- 
plicity and  symmetry  of  his  character.  He  earned  the 
surname  of  "The  Beloved,"  a  favorite  with  God  and 
men.  Upon  his  first  appearance  at  the  royal  court 
everybody  seems  to  have  fallen  in  love  with  him, 
in  spite  of  his  alien  lineage.  It  was  a  bold  request  that 
he  made  when  he  asked  that  a  simpler  diet  might  be 
provided  for  himself  and  his  friends;  but  the  request 
was  made  with  such  sincerity  and  sweetness  that  it 
could  not  be  denied.  The  lad  was  studious  and  soon 
distanced  all  his  companions,  being  versed  in  all  the 

45 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

learning  of  the  Chaldeans  and  in  the  higher  wisdom  of 
Moses.  He  retained  his  early  modesty.  He  never 
became  a  place  hunter,  and  he  never  shrank  from  any 
post  of  duty  to  which  he  was  called.  His  reputation 
and  standing  outlived  the  Babylonian  dynasty.  Darius 
prized  him  as  highly  as  did  Nebuchadnezzar.  The 
utmost  vigilance  and  scrutiny  of  his  enemies  could 
find  nothing  wrong  in  his  official  conduct.  Before 
he  was  35  years  old  he  was  so  widely  and  favorably 
known  for  his  uprightness  and  wisdom  that  his  name 
appears  in  the  prophecies  of  Ezekiel.  We  discover  in 
him  a  peculiar  and  high-minded  consciousness.  He 
does  nothing  from  policy,  everything  from  principle. 

There  is  an  equally  remarkable  completeness  in  his 
character.  There  are  in  it  no  violent  contrasts,  no 
lapses  over  which  we  must  throw  the  mantle  of  charity. 
He  is  a  man  of  the  finest  and  firmest  courage.  He  tells 
Nebuchadnezzar  the  truth;  he  is  fearless  before  Bel- 
shazzar;  he  prays  according  to  his  habit,  without  a 
thought  of  the  lion's  den.  He  is  always  contented, 
whether  filling  a  responsible  post  or  remanded  to  ob- 
scurity. He  bides  his  time,  and  he  is  full  of  charity. 
He  cherishes  no  animosities.  He  does  not  turn  upon 
his  persecutors.  He  could  have  had  no  great  love  for 
the  priestly  class,  but  his  first  public  appearance  is  on 
their  behalf,  because  they  had  been  condemned  to 
death  unless  they  could  reproduce  the  king's  forgotten 
dream.  It  is  a  noble  figure  that  stands  out  against 
the  dark  background  of  general  vanity,  revelry,  and 
cruelty;  and  is  a  notable  instance  of  the  supremacy 
of  righteousness  over  brute   force. 

It  cannot  be  doubted  that  Daniel's  quiet  influence 

46 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

at  court  must  have  done  much  to  soften  the  rigors 
of  the  captivity,  and  it  goes  far  toward  explaining  the 
favorable  disposition  of  Cyrus  and  the  facilities  which 
were  gladly  accorded  to  Zerubbabel  by  Cyrus,  and  to 
Nehemiah  by  Darius.  As  Joseph  prepared  the  way 
for  his  father's  household,  so  Daniel  prepared  the  way 
for  the  captives  of  Judah.  He  had  been  eighteen 
years  in  Babylon  when  the  captives  came  pouring  in 
from  the  wasted  city,  and  he  was  held  in  high  esteem. 
They  must  have  been  considerately  treated  for  his 
sake;  and  his  name  must  have  speedily  become  a 
household  word  among  them.  It  was  not  a  misplaced 
reverence.  He  has  not  suffered  by  a  lapse  of  2,400 
years,  and  we  still  summon  men  to  the  highest  level  of 
character  when  we  say  to  them,  *'Dare  be  like  Daniel." 
When  we  turn  from  Daniel  the  man  to  Daniel  the 
seer  our  task  is  not  so  easy.  It  belongs  to  the  very 
nature  of  prediction  that  its  precise  fulfillment  in  point 
of  time  cannot  be  anticipated.  The  prophetic  per- 
spective is  without  time,  as  the  perspective  on  can- 
vas is  without  measurable  distance.  In  the  prophetic 
outlook  the  succession  is  logical,  not  chronological. 
Centuries  count  for  nothing,  millenniums  are  measured 
by  an  adverbial  phrase  such  as  ''immediately"  or 
"after  this."  It  is  the  principle  of  history  upon  which 
the  prophet  seizes,  the  final  issue  upon  which  he  fixes 
his  eye.  

The  Book  of  Job. 

Job  is  a  drama  in  three  parts :  the  prologue,  the 
argument,  and  the  epilogue.  The  introduction  has 
two  parts,  describing  two  scenes  in  heaven,  with  their 

47 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

correspondent  counterparts  on  the  earth.  The  argu- 
ment falls  Into  four  parts :  the  dialogue  between  Job 
and  his  three  friends ;  the  monologues  of  Job  when  he 
has  silenced  his  accusers,  and  of  which  there  are  three ; 
the  four  speeches  of  Elihu,  whom  Job  does  not  answer, 
and  the  double  address  of  Jehovah,  before  whom  Job 
humbles  himself  in  penitent  confession  and  humble 
trust.  Then  comes  the  epilogue  or  conclusion,  in  which 
Job  is  vindicated  by  his  Maker,  and  made  the  recipient 
of  a  double  blessing.  There  are  twenty-eight  speeches 
in  all,  and  just  one-half  of  these  are  credited  to  Job. 
The  story  closes  with  the  statement  that  Job  doubled 
his  possessions ;  that  seven  sons  and  three  daughters 
were  born  to  him,  virtually  doubling  his  household — 
as  the  dead  are  not  lost — and  that  he  lived  to  enjoy  a 
sunny  old  age.  The  clue  to  the  book  is  in  the  prologue 
or  Introduction. 

Job  is  first  very  briefly  described  as  a  wealthy  prince, 
whose  character  commanded  universal  respect,  and 
whose  piety  was  equally  marked.  He  feared  God  and 
eschewed  evil.  He  was  the  head  of  a  very  happy  fam- 
ily, all  the  members  of  which  joined  in  every  feast; 
while  Job  himself  was  careful  to  intercede  on  their 
behalf,  by  prayer  and  sacrifice,  for  any  thoughtlessness 
of  conduct  into  which  they  might  have  fallen.  The 
piety  of  Job,  so  well  known  on  earth,  becomes  a  matter 
of  discussion  in  heaven,  in  a  public  assembly  of  the 
angels  who  have  come  to  receive  their  commands, 
and  at  which  Satan  is  present.  Jehovah  speaks  of  Job 
in  the  highest  terms.  The  devil  sneers  and  declares 
that  Job  serves  God  only  because  God  has  always 
prospered  him,  and  challenges  the  trial  of  a  different 

48 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

policy :  "Lay  Thine  hand  upon  him  and  he  will  curse 
Thee  to  Thy  face."  It  is  the  old  charge  that  every 
man  has  his  price,  and  all  virtue  is  varnished  selfish- 
ness; that  principle  is  only  another  name  for  policy, 
and  that  men  will  do  right  only  so  long  as  it  pays. 
That  challenge  in  heaven  could  not  be  ignored.  It 
was  a  lie,  but  the  falsehood  required  to  be  exposed 
by  the  real  trial  of  Job.  Then  comes  the  first  visitation 
of  sufifering,  when,  in  swift  succession,  the  robbers 
carried  away  his  wealth  and  the  storm  swept  all  his  chil- 
dren into  eternity.  He  heard  the  news  with  calmness, 
until  the  last  messenger  announced  the  death  of  all 
his  children ;  then  he  could  control  his  grief  no  longer. 
He  arose,  rent  his  mantle,  shaved  his  head,  and  fell 
down  to  the  ground.  He  was  heart-broken;  but  he 
was  not  rebellious.  With  his  face  in  the  dust,  he 
worshipped  and  uttered  those  immortal  words:  "The 
Lord  gave,  and  the  Lord  hath  taken  away;  blessed 
be  the  name  of  the  Lord." 


The  Philosophy  of  Suffering. 

The  prologue  in  Job  is  a  prophecy  of  the  Cross. 
To  the  elevated  and  inspired  thought  of  the  author 
the  last  word  on  the  mystery  of  suffering  has  not 
been  spoken  by  those  who  emphasize  its  retributive 
and  reformatory  aspects.  These  are  fully  and  ably 
set  forth  by  Eliphaz,  Bildad,  Zophar  and  Elihu,  but 
the  force  of  their  impassioned  speech  does  not  carry 
conviction  to  the  sufferer.  The  logic  is  thus  shown 
to  be  insufficient.  It  does  not  meet  the  facts  of  the 
case.     There  is  a  punitive  suffering;  even  Job  admits 

49 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

that  and  declares  that  he  needed  no  one  to  teach  him 
that  lesson.  There  is  a  disciplinary  suffering — chas- 
tisement, by  which  good  men  are  made  better — but 
when  Elihu  commends  this  thought  to  Job,  the  crushed 
man  finds  no  comfort  in  it,  for  his  suffering  has  led 
him  into  sin  rather  than  delivered  him  from  it.  The 
suffering  of  the  righteous  has  a  deeper  reason.  It  is 
based  upon  a  higher  necessity.  It  is  the  inevitable 
attendant  of  the  general  conflict  between  Good  and 
Evil  wills  that  challenges  God,  in  the  presence  of  His 
angels,  to  give  him  a  fair  field  among  the  best  of  men, 
declaring  that  every  one  of  them  can  be  brought  to 
curse  Him  to  His  face.  The  plausible  challenge  can- 
not be  declined,  and  the  falsehood  can  only  be  dis- 
proved by  actual  trial.  The  moral  sovereignty  of 
God  is  involved  in  the  issue,  for  if  the  result  shows 
that  no  creature  will  worship  Him  when  He  weights 
him  with  suffering,  then  there  is  no  essential  reverence 
and  love  for  Him  anywhere,  and  His  government  is 
only  of  the  sugar-plum  order;  and  if  God  decHnes 
to  make  the  trial,  He  is  convicted  of  moral  weakness 
in  advance.  Thus  we  come  to  the  author's  great  and 
governing  thought,  that  neither  the  righteousness  of 
God  nor  the  righteousness  of  man,  neither  the  moral 
excellence  of  the  ruler  nor  the  full  and  unqualified 
loyalty  of  the  subject  can  be  made  manifest  and  vindi- 
cated except  by  suffering.  And  such  being  the  case, 
it  should  not  surprise  us  that  often  the  best  men  suffer 
most ;  because  in  them  are  represented  the  pivotal  and 
strategic  positions  of  the  fierce  battle.  Nor  can  it  seem 
strange  that  the  holiest  of  all  men  suffered  most  in- 
tensely, because  with  Him  the  battle  was  either  for- 

50 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

ever  won  or  forever  lost.  This  is  the  profound  and 
permanent  lesson  of  the  Book  of  Job ;  it  is  the  Old 
Testament  drama  of  the  Cross  in  history. 


The  Scope  of  the  Psalms. 

"Blessed  is  the  man  that  walketh  not  in  the  counsel 
of  the  ungodly,  nor  standeth  in  the  way  of  sinners,  nor 
sitteth  in  the  seat  of  the  scornful ;  but  his  delight  is  in 
the  law  of  the  Lord ;  and  in  his  law  doth  he  meditate 
day  and  night."  The  first  word  of  this  sentence,  which 
may  be  regarded  as  standing  for  the  text  and  theme 
of  the  Old  Testament  Psalter,  is  not  an  adjective, 
but  a  noun,  and  a  noun  in  the  plural  number.  The 
tone,  furthermore,  is  one  of  grateful  sacrifice,  as  if 
the  vision  of  the  good  man's  blessedness  could  not  be 
traced  by  mortal  pen.  The  sentence  ought  to  end  with 
an  exclamation  point.  It  is  not  an  abstract  proposition 
which  the  author  means  to  prove,  nor  is  it  the  expres- 
sion of  a  pious  sentiment,  uttered  as  a  prayer  or  bene- 
diction, but  the  writer's  personal  testimony  to  a  fact 
whose  discovery  fills  him  with  glad  and  growing  won- 
der. By  a  few  rapid  strokes  the  character  of  the  good 
man  is  described  as  marked  by  an  avoidance  of  evil 
thoughts  and  men,  and  by  the  loving,  habitual  rever- 
ence of  the  Law  of  God.  Over  this  portrait  stands  the 
golden  word  "Blessedness,"  written  with  feehngs  akin 
to  those  that  master  you  when  you  look  at  one  of  Ra- 
phael's masterpieces.  You  are  hushed  into  silence. 
You  resent  a  whisper  as  sacrilege  and  comment  as 
impertinent.  It  is  a  picture  radiant  with  celestial 
light. 

51 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

The  joys  of  the  good  man  are  so  varied,  so  en- 
larging, so  permanent,  that  only  a  plural  noun  can 
express  them:  for  the  plural,  in  the  Hebrew,  is  the 
sign  of  variety,  of  completeness,  of  abiding  freshness. 
Such  is  the  note  to  which  the  Psalter  is  keyed.  It  is 
a  book  of  hallelujahs.  Happiness  is  the  object  of 
universal  ambition  and  search.  The  Psalms  go  straight 
to  the  heart  of  that  inquiry.  They  tell  us  where  and 
how  true  happiness  may  be  found,  and  the  information 
is  given  in  the  form  of  personal  experience.  The 
testimony  is  all  the  more  remarkable  because  it  em- 
bodies the  result  which  the  Old  Testament  religion 
produced  in  the  minds  and  hearts  of  those  who  re- 
ceived it  gladly.  Of  that  religion  the  Law  was  the 
great  watchword.  The  word  has  a  stern,  hard,  un- 
compromising sound.  It  seems  to  summon  to  a 
religion  of  constraint,  and  to  induce  a  service  of  con- 
stant fear.  But  the  godly  man  of  the  Psalms  who  has 
read  that  Law  in  the  light  of  the  older  covenant  makes 
it  his  delight  and  meditates  upon  it  day  and  night. 
He  is  not  driven  by  it,  but  drawn  to  it.  Its  prohibi- 
tions are  to  him  the  warnings  of  love,  divine  hedges 
along  the  path  that  leads  to  safety  and  joy.  Obedience 
to  what  God  has  commanded  is  not  felt  to  be  a  burden, 
but  a  perpetual  gladness. 


The  Psalms  Arranged. 

The  Psalms  fall  into  three  main  groups :  The  Psalms 
of  David,  of  Asaph,  and  his  associates,  and  the  anony- 
mous hymns.    And  as  Asaph  and  his  associates  may 

52 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

be  regarded  as  the  lieutenants  of  David,  the  collection 
falls  into  two  great  classes,  ninety-nine  being  of 
Davidic  origin  or  inspiration,  and  fifty  being  anony- 
mous, with  the  grand  hymn  of  Moses  as  a  keystone 
of  Siniatic  granite,  binding  together  the  two  sections  of 
this  glorious  arch  of  song.  But  David's  pre-eminence 
in  the  Psalter  cannot  be  measured  by  the  number  of 
Psalms  ascribed  to  him.  In  literature  and  art  it  is 
the  quality,  not  the  quantity,  which  is  the  decisive  test 
of  superiority.  The  forty-second  and  the  eighty- 
fourth  Psalms  are  noble  specimens  of  the  contributions 
by  the  sons  of  Korah.  The  fiftieth  Psalm  shows  the 
lyrical  power  of  Asaph.  The  seventy-second  is  in 
Solomon's  best  vein.  The  anonymous  ninety-first 
Psalm  is  one  of  the  finest  in  the  entire  collection.  Still 
David  maintains  the  primacy,  in  variety  of  theme,  in 
grandeur  of  thought,  in  the  musical  cadence  and  march 
of  his  verse.  Milton  recognized  him  as  a  poet  of  the 
highest  order.  The  twenty-third  is  the  sweetest  of 
all  the  Psalms  of  trust,  so  fragrant  are  the  pastures, 
so  clear  all  the  streams  where  the  flock  of  God  is 
shepherded.  The  fifty-first  is  the  matchless  Psalm 
of  penitence  where  the  broken  heart  sobs  out  its  con- 
fession and  appeals  to  the  multitude  of  God's  tender 
mercies.  The  twenty-second  touches  the  greatest 
depths  of  distress,  whose  opening  sentence  our  Lord 
appropriated  when  the  heavens  grew  black  over  the 
cross.  The  one  hundred  and  thirty-ninth  is  incom- 
parable for  the  compactness  of  its  doctrine,  a  veritable 
compound  of  theology,  a  delineation  of  God  and  of 
His  government  calculated  to  inspire  the  profoundest 
reverence  and  awe.    The  nineteenth  is  the  model  Psalm 

53 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

of  praise  in  which  heaven  and  earth,  day  and  night, 
are  represented  as  engaged  in  perpetual  dialogue,  re- 
counting the  glory  of  God,  while  all  His  judgments 
are  celebrated  as  radiant  with  light  and  cheer.  The 
one  hundred  and  third  is  the  royal  Psalm  of  thanks- 
giving, unequaled  by  any  later  utterance.  The  eight- 
eenth is  the  great  Psalm  of  triumph,  in  which  David, 
then  at  the  zenith  of  his  power,  recalls  the  terrible 
straits  of  thirty  years  and  celebrates  the  mercy  of  God, 
of  whom  he  speaks  as  his  cliff,  his  castle,  his  rock, 
his  tower,  his  shield,  his  deliverer,  the  hour  of  his 
salvation.  It  is  simply  amazing  that  such  and  so 
many  immortal  lyrics  should  be  born  of  a  single  brain 
and  heart.  No  wonder  that  David  has  come  to  be 
known  as  "the  sweet  singer  of  Israel."  He  smote  his 
harp  with  the  hand  of  a  master,  and  made  its  voice  the 
gentlest  and  the  stormiest  emotions  of  the  human  soul. 


The  Psalms  as  a  Solace. 

The  Psalter  is  a  perpetual  crucifixion,  followed  by 
a  perpetual  resurrection;  and  it  is  this  that  has  given 
to  the  Psalms  their  infinite  pathos  and  abiding  power. 
What  now  do  these  noble  Psalms  contain?  I  cannot 
undertake  to  answer  that  question  for  you.  You  must 
read  them  for  yourselves  alone,  and  when  your  heart 
is  heavy.  They  are  a  grand  covert  when  the  storms 
burst  over  you  and  the  depths  are  broken  up,  when 
heart  and  flesh  fail  you.  They  are  pervaded  through 
and  through  with  a  vivid  sense  of  the  Divine  presence. 
God  is  always  near.     That  is  the  golden  thread  upon 

54 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

which  the  pearls  of  song  are  strung,  and  the  God  of 
the  Psalms  is  a  being  of  wondrous  majesty  and  gen- 
tleness, with  whom  there  is  forgiveness  that  He  may 
be  feared,  so  strange  is  the  grace  of  pardon,  so  sweet 
is  its  assurance.  In  the  Psalms  it  is  always  the  honest 
soul  that  pleads.  The  suppliant's  abasement  is  never 
his  debasement.  He  is  kingliest  when  he  is  lowliest. 
The  root  of  righteousness  is  in  him,  and  that  trans- 
figures his  face.  These  songs  embody  the  highest 
spirituaHty  of  thought  in  which  altar  and  sacrifice  lead 
to  confession  and  faith  in  the  promises  of  God.  As 
Stanley  says,  "they  scream  for  joy."  "We  cannot  pray 
the  Psalms,"  says  one  of  these  most  learned  and  devout 
students,  "without  having  our  heart  opened,  our  affec- 
tions enlarged,  our  thoughts  drawn  heavenward.  He 
who  can  pray  them  best  is  nearest  to  God,  knows  most 
of  the  Spirit  of  Christ,  is  ripest  for  heaven."  Lord 
open  to  each  one  of  us  this  golden  treasury  of  Thy 
word. 


David  and  Solomon  Compared. 

The  difference  between  David  and  Solomon  is  no- 
where more  clearly  brought  to  light  than  when  we 
compare  the  Psalter  with  the  book  of  Proverbs.  The 
fear  of  the  Lord  is  with  both  men  the  chief  duty  and 
glory  of  man.  But  with  David  this  personal  fellow- 
ship is  prized  for  its  own  sake,  constituting  not  merely 
the  source  but  the  substance  of  his  blessedness. 
"Whom  have  I  in  heaven  but  Thee,  and  there  is 
none  upon  earth  that  I  desire  beside  Thee,"  may  be 
regarded  as  the  key  to  which  every  other  psalm  and 

55 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

prayer  is  set.  With  Solomon,  on  the  other  hand, 
reHgion  is  prized  for  the  practical  benefits  which  it 
secures.  It  is  indispensable  to  the  equipment  of  the 
wise  man.  The  sinner  is  a  fool.  His  rejection  of  God 
is  the  extinction  of  reason.  The  temper  of  David  is 
devotional ;  the  temper  of  Solomon  is  philosophical. 
Solomon  looks  at  the  question  as  a  man  of  the  world. 
The  imperial  indorsement  of  man  is  his  reason.  To 
act  wisely  is  his  whole  duty,  and  the  search  for  wisdom 
brings  the  king  to  the  conclusion,  which  he  places  at 
the  front  of  his  maxims,  that  man's  first  and  greatest 
need  is  the  knowledge  and  fear  of  God. 


The  Book  of  Proverbs. 

The  book  of  Proverbs  is  really  a  treatise  on  wisdom. 
It  is  the  earliest  recorded  attempt  at  a  philosophy 
whose  conclusions  are  thrown  into  the  form  of  ad- 
dresses to  the  young,  and  of  short,  pithy  sentences 
easily  retained  in  the  memory.  The  Proverbs  are 
peculiar.  They  are  not  a  collection  of  popular  sayings, 
current  in  Solomon's  time,  and  rescued  by  him  from 
oblivion,  embodying  "the  wit  of  one  and  the  wisdom 
of  many,"  but  striking  statements  of  his  own,  and 
of  some  other  men,  embodying  the  result  of  wide 
observation  and  profound  reflection,  like  the  aphor- 
isms of  Coleridge  and  the  "Table  Talk"  of  Martin 
Luther.  What  we  have  is  only  a  remnant,  though  a 
very  carefully  sifted  and  precious  one;  for  Solomon 
is  reported  by  the  author  of  First  Kings  to  have 
spoken    3,000    proverbs,    and    composed    over    1,000 

56 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

poems,  besides  writing  treatises  on  botany  and  zoology. 
He  was  a  prolific  scientific  and  philosophical  author, 
the  greater  part  of  whose  work  has  perished.  We 
may  presume  that  the  cream  of  his  thought  has  been 
preserved.  And  the  book,  as  it  stands,  is  plainly  com- 
posite in  its  structure. 


A  Priceless  Necklace. 

The  last  chapter  of  Proverbs  preserves  the  words 
which  King  Lemuel's  mother  taught  him,  and  is,  in 
many  respects,  the  gem  of  the  book.  It  contains  thir- 
ty-one verses,  of  which  the  first  nine  describe  the 
qualities  of  a  good  ruler,  and  the  last  twenty-two 
verses  are  an  acrostic  poem,  one  sentence  for  every 
letter  of  the  Hebrew  alphabet,  describing  the  virtues 
and  the  incomparable  worth  of  the  ideal  woman,  wife 
and  mother.  There  is  a  necklace  of  diamonds  in  the 
green  vault  of  Dresden,  valued  at  half  a  million  dol- 
lars. There  is  an  African  diamond  in  New  York  City 
valued  at  $100,000.  I  held  it  in  my  hands  a  few  days 
ago,  and  you  may  laugh  at  me  when  I  say  that  I  in- 
voluntarily kissed  it,  so  radiant  was  its  beauty.  But 
here  is  a  necklace  of  twenty-two  jewels,  each  one  of 
them  a  perfect  brilliant,  which  the  Bible  binds  with  a 
golden  clasp  around  the  throat  of  every  young  woman. 
How  marked  the  contrast  with  heathen  literature, 
which  speaks  of  woman  only  with  a  sneer,  at  best 
only  with  an  air  of  pity  and  condescension.  The  Bible 
honors  woman.  This  sweet  acrostic  poem  is  the  divine 
ring  of  betrothal  conferred  upon  every  maiden,  binding 
her  to  vows  of  purity  and  piety. 

57 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

A  Book  for  the  Young. 

Proverbs  is  the  great  book  in  the  Bible  for  the 
young.  The  proverbs  are  the  words  of  a  father  to  his 
children.  The  main  form  of  address  is,  "My  son," 
because  young  men  are  most  exposed  and  disposed 
to  the  sins  that  destroy  character  and  embitter  life. 
The  proverbs  are  somewhat  loosely  joined  together. 
There  are  frequent  repetitions,  but  these  repetitions 
are  helpful  as  emphasizing  the  main  dangers  to  which 
the  young  are  exposed.  They  are  especially  warned 
against  four  sins:  impurity,  intemperance,  lying  and 
robbery.  The  warnings  against  impurity  of  life  are  the 
most  frequent  and  solemn.  I  never  read  them  without 
feeling  that  in  them  Solomon's  wounded  heart  speaks. 
His  domestic  life  was  not  a  happy  one.  The  yoke 
chafed  him,  the  chains  galled  him.  He  speaks  out 
of  his  own  experience,  and  the  young  may  well  heed 
his  admonition.  With  terrible  vividness  does  he  de- 
scribe the  subtlety  of  the  temptation,  the  suddenness 
of  the  fall,  the  bitterness  of  the  awakening,  the  inevit- 
able and  long  life  remorse.  The  man  who  loses  his  vir- 
tue takes  a  viper  into  his  heart.  He  will  always  hear 
the  hissing  and  feel  the  sting.  Young  man,  read  these 
chapters  for  yourself. 


Warning  Against  Robbery. 

Solomon  warns  the  young  against  robbery  of  every 
kind,  whether  it  be  the  robbery  of  violence  or  the 
robbery  of  false  weights  and  measures.  Don't  steal. 
Three  feet  to  the  yard !    Sixteen  ounces  to  the  pound ! 

58 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

2,000  pounds  to  the  ton !  A  fair  equivalent  in  every 
bargain  you  make — that  is  Solomon's  advice,  and  he 
was  a  great  merchant  as  well  as  a  king.  And  all  this 
he  advises  on  the  ground  of  practical  wisdom,  because 
honesty  is  the  only  safe  policy,  though  he  also  declares 
that  a  violation  of  these  mercantile  rules  is  an  abomina- 
tion unto  the  Lord.  This  book  is  full  of  downright 
good  common  sense,  and  is  the  best  practical  guide 
for  young  men  to-day. 


The  Scope  and  Style  of  Ecclesiastes. 

The  book  of  Ecclesiastes  is  the  saddest  in  the  Bible. 
There  is  something  disappointing  in  its  style.  It  ranks 
lowest  among  the  poetical  books,  without  the  spiritual 
fervor  of  the  Psalms,  and  without  the  sustained  ele- 
vation of  thought  in  the  Proverbs.  Here  and  there 
the  poetic  fire  breaks  through,  and  the  philosophic 
temper  asserts  itself ;  but  it  is  the  effort  of  an  eagle 
whose  wings  are  broken.  There  is  no  Summer  in  the 
book.  A  dull,  heavy,  grey  atmosphere  pervades  it. 
The  east  winds  sweep  through  all  its  chapters.  There 
is  just  hope  enough  to  save  the  writer  from  settled 
despair  and  suicide ;  not  enough  to  change  his  moan 
into  a  song.  It  must  have  been  written  by  an  old 
man  who  had  fallen  into  a  state  of  chronic  melan- 
choly, in  whom  habitual  disappointment  had  produced 
mental  vacillation,  and  whose  faith  in  God  was  little 
more  than  a  dull  resignation  to  the  inevitable,  which, 
in  his  better  moods,  he  hoped  might  terminate  in  a 

59 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

rational  and  happy  result.  There  is  a  double  play  of 
thought  all  through  the  book;  a  perpetual  battle  be- 
tween despair  and  hope ;  and  this  has  led  many  to 
suppose  that  it  is  in  reality  a  poetical  dialogue,  whose 
divisions  cannot  now  be  reproduced  with  exactness. 
The  transitions  are  many  and  abrupt.  There  is  a 
good  deal  of  drifting,  as  when  a  rower  loses  his  oars 
and  is  deluged  by  a  wave.  There  are  sudden  leaps  in 
thought,  as  when  a  skiff  rises  from  the  trough  of  the 
sea  to  the  crest  of  the  billow.  But  it  will  help  us  to 
remember  that  the  thought  moves  always  between 
these  two  extremes — all  is  vanity,  even  righteousness ; 
righteousness  cannot  be  vanity,  and  it  must  be  well 
with  them  that  fear  God.  The  antithesis  becomes 
more  and  more  pronounced,  until  at  last  conscience 
triumphs  and  hope  survives. 


Leaving  the  Pit  of  Despair. 

In  Ecclesiastes  there  is  a  dash  of  cynicism  when  men 
are  advised  to  be  neither  righteous  nor  wicked  over 
much.  Avoid  extremes.  It  is  not  very  high  ground, 
to  be  sure;  but  you  must  remember  that  this  man  is 
coming  out  of  the  pit  of  despair.  This  is  the  first 
ray  of  light  that  comes  to  him.  He  sees  that  man  pos- 
sesses a  divine  gift  for  happiness,  and  that  the  first 
law  for  its  attainment  is  contentment  and  moderation. 
The  solution  breaks  upon  him  in  the  discovery  that 
God  made  man  upright,  but  that  by  his  inventions 
man  has  marred  the  divine  work.     It  is  an  inordinate 

6q 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

ambition  that  is  man's  curse.  Simplicity  is  the  direct 
and  sure  path  to  joy.  And  now  a  deeper  voice  makes 
itself  heard.  He  cannot  withhold  his  praise  from 
wisdom  and  righteousness.  These  are  good  in  them- 
selves. It  is  better  to  be  wise  than  foolish,  better  to  be 
true  than  false,  better  to  be  pure  than  impure.  It  is 
the  whisper  of  conscience  that  he  hears,  and  by  it  he 
is  led  to  commend  piety,  reverence  for  the  character 
and  the  commandments  of  God.  There  is  something 
pathetic  in  the  closing  appeal  to  the  young  to  remem- 
ber the  Creator  in  the  days  of  their  youth,  before 
the  years  of  infirmity  and  exhaustion  come ;  before  the 
body  has  become  broken,  and  the  spirit  wounded  by 
sin.  And  with  this  revived  faith  in  God,  and  rever- 
ence for  His  law,  comes  the  hope  of  a  better  day.  It 
is  very  dim,  but  it  is  there.  Every  secret  thing, 
whether  it  be  good  or  evil,  shall  be  brought  to  light. 
The  righteous  and  loving  God  is  higher  than  the 
princes  who  delight  in  oppression.  The  soliloquy 
reaches  its  highest  and  final  ground  in  the  assurance 
that  it  cannot  be  well  with  the  wicked,  however  he 
may  seem  to  prosper,  and  however  long  his  judgment 
may  be  delayed,  and  that  it  must  be  well  with  them 
that  fear  and  obey  God.  You  may  say  that  there  is 
no  argument  in  this  book,  and  you  are  right.  But 
it  mirrors  the  thoughts  of  a  man  who  found  himself 
in  the  prison  of  doubt  and  despair,  but  in  whom  the 
love  of  life  and  the  authority  of  conscience  demanded 
a  new  hearing,  and  it  may  do  us  good  to  see  by  what 
path  he  slowly  and  painfully  found  his  way  back  to 
faith  in  the  Living  God. 


6i 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

The  Office  of  the  Heart. 

I  am  persuaded  that  there  is  no  more  frequent  and 
fatal  mistake  than  the  failure  to  stand  guard  over  the 
heart,  to  keep  the  inmost  self  free  from  invasion  and 
harm.  Augustine  tells  us  that  his  search  for  truth  and 
peace  only  brought  him  increasing  bewilderment  while 
he  listened  to  the  world's  teachers ;  the  precious  treas- 
ure was  found  only  when  he  faced  God  in  his  own 
heart.  And  how  stands  the  case  with  many  of  us? 
We  read  but  we  do  not  think.  We  believe  what 
others  tell  us ;  we  are  afraid  to  trust  the  oracle  within 
us.  We  are  unsettled  by  a  book,  thrown  into  painful 
doubt  and  unrest;  perplexed  by  arguments  that  we 
cannot  answer,  whose  sophistry  we  may  feel  but  cannot 
detect,  whose  conclusions  startle  us,  when  the  heart 
within  us,  things  that  we  deeply  feel,  is  the  court  by 
which  every  book  must  be  judged.  For  the  soul  is 
greater  than  any  book,  and  the  only  authority  is  that 
which  wins  my  spontaneous  and  glad  assent.  I  would 
not  divorce  feeling  and  logic,  though  feeling  is  primary 
and  fundamental.  I  would  hug  no  faith  that  is  not 
rational;  but  I  would  not  follow  a  logic  that  antag- 
onizes my  deepest  convictions,  and  sports  with  my 
most  crying  needs.  I  would  rather  follow  my  own 
heart  than  another  man's  head.  Guard  your  heart. 
The  old  advice  fits  our  day.  Has  it  ever  come  that 
you  ought  to  have  faith  in  yourself — that  you  ought 
to  believe  that  in  you,  too,  there  is  a  heart,  a  something 
that  has  its  profound  convictions,  its  needs,  its  hopes 
and  its  fears,  its  unutterable  and  persistent  hunger? 
Have  there  not  been  moments  when  God's  presence 

62 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

awed  you,  and  when  His  peace  stilled  your  tumult? 
The  fear  that  there  might  not  be  a  God,  and  that  re- 
ligion was  a  delusion  has  frozen  you  to  the  core-,  while 
the  resurging  vision  of  Him  has  brought  the  Summer 
back.  Why  not  trust  your  heart?  Are  you  an  in- 
carnate lie?  Is  the  cry  of  your  nature  a  mockery? 
No,  therein  your  heart's  need  is  the  impregnable  evi- 
dence. It  was  that  appeal  by  which,  early  in  the  cen- 
tury, Schleiermacher  roused  Berlin  and  Germany  from 
its  religious  indifference  and  despair,  and  in  so  doing 
he  only  followed  the  earlier  apologists,  as  when  Ter- 
tullian  exclaimed :  "The  testimony  of  the  soul  is  natur- 
ally Christian!"  Are  you  not  weak?  Are  you  not 
sinful?  Does  not  your  heart  cry  for  the  Uving  God? 
At  one  of  the  meetings  of  the  American  Board  held  in 
Cleveland  during  the  past  week  (October,  1888),  I 
heard  a  missionary  say  that  the  Spirit  of  God  was  at 
work  in  the  heathen  heart  even  before  they  heard  of 
the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  he  told  of  a  woman 
who,  upon  receiving  the  glad  tidings  for  the  first  time, 
exclaimed :  "O,  this  is  the  peace  for  which  I  have  been 
waiting!"  That  poor  heathen  woman  did  not  need 
the  "historic  evidences  of  Christianity"  to  convince 
her.  The  Holy  Spirit  had  been  at  work  in  her  heart 
preparing  it  for  the  glorious  coming  of  Christ.  Oh, 
my  brothers,  in  that  sense  of  dependence,  in  that  feel- 
ing of  weakness  and  need,  is  the  proof  that  God  is 
not  far  away,  your  eternal  strength  and  refuge.  Your 
heart  is  not  lying  to  you.  Believe,  too,  that  there  is 
just  such  a  heart  in  all  other  men  and  women,  savage 
or  civilized,  rich  or  poor,  cultured  or  ignorant.  There 
is  the  same  bodily  structure  in  the  new  born  babe  and 

63 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

in  the  centenarian.  Air,  food  and  sleep  are  needed 
by  all.  No  amount  of  mental  advance  lifts  any  man 
above  the  weakness  which  his  dependence  emphasizes, 
nor  above  the  craving  for  sympathy  when  bereavement 
shadows  him,  nor  above  the  shame  and  fear  which  sin 
provokes.  I  do  not  undervalue  the  labors  of  Christian 
scholars  for  the  faith  which  we  profess,  but  there  is 
something  more  direct  than  argument.  God  has  His 
eternal  witness  in  every  soul,  and  to  that  we  confidently 
appeal. 


Why  Am  I  a  Christian? 

I  received  my  first  impressions  of  religion  in  a  godly 
home,  where  the  Bible  was  read  daily,  and  where  the 
Sabbath  was  observed  as  a  day  of  sacred  Christian 
opportunity  and  joy.  I  caught  Christianity  from  the 
lips  and  eyes  of  my  mother.  An  incident  in  which  my 
mother  and  myself  were  immediately  interested  made 
an  indelibj^^^nipression  upon  me.  From  that  event  i 
get  ?  coiico^ .  on  of  God's  methods  with  His  children. 
My  mother  caught  me  in  her  arms,  and  kneeling  down 
with  me,  prayed  that  God  would  pardon  me  for  my 
offense.  Then  she  administered  chastisement  for  my 
misconduct.  There  was  love  and  judgment  brought 
in  line.  It  was  not  love  without  law,  nor  law  without 
love.  In  that  one  act  of  my  mother's  affectionate  and 
dutiful  ministry  I  received  the  first  theological  train- 
ing in  my  life.  In  the  years  that  followed,  leading  up 
to  the  hour  of  conversion,  that  early  lesson  ex- 
ercised a  potent  influence.     You  can  all  trace  the  way 

64 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

back  to  the  early  training  of  your  childhood,  and  as 
you  reflect,  your  memory  is  without  even  as  much  as 
a  single  conscious  struggle  for  the  truth  of  Christian- 
ity. You  were  helped  and  succored  by  the  counsels 
of  godly  fathers  and  the  prayers  of  pious  mothers. 
In  the  power  of  home  influence  there  is  discoverable 
a  duality  of  testimony  as  to  the  Word  of  God,  the 
testimony  of  Christian  life  as  we  have  seen  it  and  felt 
it,  and  the  witness  of  the  written  Word  in  the  Bible. 
The  Bible  is  but  the  record  of  what  Christianity  has 
done.     The  witnesses  are  united. 


The  Testimony  of  John. 

Of  all  Christ's  disciples,  he  who  was  named  John 
understood  Him  best.  It  was  fitting  that  he  should 
speak  last,  when  all  others  had  submitted  their  tes- 
timony, and  entered  their  verdict.  In  saying  this,  I 
assume  that  this  fourth  gospel  was  written  by  John, 
the  apostle.  This  has  been  vehemently  denied,  but 
the  long  and  fierce  debate  may  be  regarded  as  virtually 
ended  in  favor  of  the  traditional  judgment.  It  is  con- 
ceded, also,  that  this  gospel  is  the  last  of  all  the  New 
Testament  writings,  composed  in  the  eighth  decade 
of  the  first  century.  It  represents  the  ripest  fruit  of 
inspired  Christian  thought.  Fifty  years  had  passed 
since  the  crucifixion.  Paul  had  been  dead  twenty 
years.  Fifteen  years  or  more  had  elapsed  since  the 
destruction  of  Jerusalem.  The  days  of  peace  had  been 
succeeded  by  the  days  of  bitter  and  bloody  persecution. 
Through  all  these  years  the  beloved  disciple  had  been 

65 
3 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

meditating  on  his  great  theme.  Each  review  disclosed 
a  new  subHmity,  and  made  his  task  more  difficult.  We 
may  well  suppose  that  he  was  often  urged  to  write 
his  story,  and  perhaps  even  rebuked  for  his  strange 
delay.  But  he  was  determined  not  to  be  premature, 
and  his  hesitation  has  been  to  our  great  advantage. 
For  we  have  in  this  Gospel  the  verdict  of  a  vigorous 
old  age,  sobered  by  fifty  years  of  study,  tempered  by 
a  long  and  varied  experience,  made  fearlessly  honest 
in  view  of  the  nearness  of  death.  He  does  not  claim 
to  give  an  exhaustive  history,  but  from  the  wealth 
of  his  material  he  selects  such  deeds  and  discourses 
as  appear  to  him  representative,  and  as  fully  justifying 
the  universal  faith  of  the  Church.  The  fourth  gospel 
is  really  a  great  argument  in  historical  form.  It  mar- 
shals the  reasons  why  men  were  urged  to  believe  in 
Jesus  as  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  the  Author  of 
Eternal  Life  unto  all  that  believe. 


The  Mighty  Message. 

It  was  an  old  conceit  that  represented  Mark  as 
giving  a  human  portraiture  of  Christ;  Matthew,  as 
emphasizing  his  royal  dignity;  Luke,  as  dwelling  upon 
his  representative  and  sacrificial  mission,  and  John,  as 
tracing  His  divine  origin  and  nature — a  fourfold 
picture  of  the  Man,  the  King,  the  Sacrifice,  and  the 
God.  John  has  combined  them  all,  as  underneath  his 
finished  sketch,  whose  incompleteness  he  freely  con- 
fesses, he  writes :  This  is  the  man  Jesus,  who  is  also 
the  Christ,  the  Anointed  King,  the  Son  of  God,  the 

66 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

Eternal  Word,  and  through  whose  name  eternal  life 
is  secured  to  them  that  believe.  Behold,  he  cries,  the 
]\lan,  the  King  of  men,  the  Son  of  God,  dying  for 
our  sins  and  rising  again  for  our  eternal  redemption. 
I  know  it  is  a  mighty  faith,  but  the  soul  of  man  needs 
just  such  a  message  as  this.  For  sin  and  death,  judg- 
ment and  eternity  are  words  of  mighty  import.  The 
fears  that  torture  the  human  heart  have  a  terrible  grip 
and  are  loosed  only  at  the  touch  of  an  Almighty  hand. 
I  know  that  it  is  a  mysterious  faith,  but  no  more 
mysterious  than  life  itself,  or  the  conviction  of  personal 
immortality.  The  key  of  the  riddle  of  human  life  is 
here.  The  one  great  mystery  of  the  incarnation  and 
atonement  makes  all  else  plain  and  luminous.  What  a 
flood  of  light  the  manger  of  Bethlehem  casts  upon  the 
dignity  and  the  meaning  of  human  life.  Childhood, 
motherhood,  toil,  suffering  have  all  been  transfigured, 
now  that  the  Son  of  God  has  woven  them  all  into  His 
personal  and  eternal  experience.  There  is  nothing 
degrading  in  a  life  which  He  was  not  ashamed  to  share. 
I  confess  there  is  at  first  something  repellant  in  the 
pictures  which  Russian  artists  have  given  us  of 
Christ's  earthly  home.  They  are  too  realistic.  We 
cannot  imagine  that  He  lived  in  so  humble  a  way. 
But  He  did,  and  the  lesson  is  that  the  hut  does  not 
measure  the  man,  that  the  soul  is  of  royal  lineage  and 
stature,  and  that  time  is  the  gate  of  eternity.  The 
cross  shows  us  what  provision  God  has  made  that 
we  may  not  fail  of  our  heritage.  He  was  cradled 
among  the  poor,  and  died  for  transgressors  that  we 
might  be  robed  in  white  and  dwell  forever  with  the 
angels. 

67 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

An  Unfaltering  Faith  in  God. 

Our  God  is  one — one  not  only  in  the  essence  of  His 
being,  but  one  in  the  perfectness  and  completeness  of 
His  character.  Is  He  the  God  of  the  Jew  only?  Let 
that  question  of  Paul's  ring  out  afresh  upon  the  ears 
of  men.  No;  He  is  also  the  God  of  the  Gentiles. 
Is  He  the  God  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  alone?  No;  He 
is  the  God  also  of  them  that  dwell  in  China  and  Japan, 
and  in  Turkey,  and  in  the  recesses  of  Africa,  and  in 
the  islands  of  the  sea,  and  He  hath  included  all  men 
that  He  might  have  mercy  upon  all.  We  believe  in  one 
God,  who  lays  the  same  law  upon  every  conscience,  but 
whose  course  is  sometimes  veiled  to  the  understanding, 
but  disclosed  to  the  conscience ;  one  God  who  visits 
every  soul  of  man,  who  imposes  the  same  conditions 
upon  all  who  seek  His  favor,  which  truth  Peter  uttered 
when  he  declared  in  the  household  of  Cornelius  that 
they  who  fear  Him  and  work  righteousness  are  ac- 
cepted of  Him.  The  ills  of  life  can  be  more  bravely 
borne  when  it  is  known  that  there  is  nothing  that 
can  separate  us  from  the  love  of  God  which  is  in  Jesus 
Christ  our  Lord,  and  you  can  commend  the  problems 
of  the  future  to  Him  who  moves  in  mysterious  ways 
to  accomplish  His  eternal  ends.  I  do  not  profess  to 
understand  the  world  I  live  in ;  the  more  I  study  it 
the  less  I  know  about  it.  Indeed,  it  seems  to  me  terri- 
bly out  of  joint,  and  I  cannot  begin  to  justify  to  myself 
the  inequalities  I  discover  on  the  right  hand  and  on  the 
left,  but  I  can  believe  more  and  more  every  passing 
year  that  I  am  solely  in  the  hands  of  Him  who  has 
shown  His  face  in  Jesus  Christ,  and  in  whom  there  is 

68 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

no  pleasure  in  the  death  of  another,  but  who  sent  His 
Son  into  the  world,  not  that  the  world  might  be  con- 
demned, for  if  that  had  been  the  purpose  He  would 
have  simply  withheld  Himself,  but  that  the  world, 
through  Him,  might  be  saved.  So  I  see  this  little 
globe  of  ours  swinging  in  the  atmosphere  of  the  divine 
affection,  the  divine  spirit  brooding  over  all  genera- 
tions and  over  all  nations.  That  is  the  love  on  which 
I  plant  my  theology.  Perhaps  there  is  a  better  one; 
if  there  is,  I  have  never  found  it.  These  things  be- 
long to  Him,  and  I  am  sure  that  He  will  do  what  is 
right.  As  for  the  rest,  we  can  afford  to  wait,  for  God 
is  His  own  interpreter,  and  He  will  make  it  plain. 


Righteousness  Essential  to   Happiness. 

You  cannot  be  happy,  try  ever  so  hard,  unless  you 
are  holy,  and  it  is  only  in  the  possession  of  what  the 
Bible  calls  holiness  that  you  can  enter  into  and  enjoy 
the  sweet  communion  for  which  you  were  made,  with 
your  Maker.  Now,  the  scientists  of  our  day  have 
made  us  very  familiar  with  the  idea  of  law,  that,  how- 
ever stern  the  lines  may  seem  to  be,  and,  however  all- 
encompassing  they  appear,  yet  they  are  equally  benefi- 
cent. There  is  no  chance;  all  things  in  heaven  and 
on  earth  are  joined  together  in  the  order  of  an  eternal 
reason.  That  affirmation  we  carry  from  nature  into 
history,  and  we  are  reading  and  writing  the  history 
of  the  race  from  this  angle  of  observation,  that  every 
effect  has  its  cause,  and  that  all  things  are  bound  to- 
gether in  an  orderly  succession.     It  is  this  that  makes 

69 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES. 

us  impatient  of  any  definition  of  the  supernatural  in 
which  the  natural  does  not  retain  its  place;  it  is  this 
that  makes  us  unwilling  to  confess  that  even  a  miracle 
is  a  violation  or  suspension  of  the  laws  of  nature ;  it 
is  this  that  makes  us  insist  that  the  higher  order  which 
is  revealed  in  the  miraculous,  after  all,  is  in  harmony 
with  that  lower  order  which  is  called  the  natural. 
Even  Jesus  Christ  falls  under  this  law,  though  He  be 
the  miracle  of  history.  He  was  not  the  product  of  His 
age,  but  He  fitted  into  His  age  and  His  age  fitted  into 
Him.  We  go  a  step  farther  and  affirm  the  supremacy 
of  the  moral  law  as  applying  to  the  character  and  des- 
tiny of  men.  We  insist  that  the  only  beneficent  order 
is  the  order  of  impartial  and  inflexible  righteousness. 
''Oh,"  you  say,  "hell  is  an  awful  word,"  and  no  man 
should  utter  it  lightly.  But  I  tell  you,  friends,  that  the 
universe  in  which  there  is  no  justice  is  the  universe 
in  which  there  is  no  respect  for  righteousness,  and  a 
universe  in  which  men  are  left  to  be  just  what  they 
please  would  be  worse  than  hell,  and  there  is  not  one 
of  you  but  who  will  say  ''Amen"  to  that.  The  only 
beneficent  order  is  the  order  of  inflexible  righteous- 
ness, and  the  sooner  we  come  to  recognize  that  fact 
the  better.  I  remember,  only  a  few  weeks  ago  (Aug- 
ust, 1887),  seeing  a  picture  in  a  Paris  art  gallery  that 
impressed  me  very  profoundly.  The  subject  was 
Brutus  condemning  his  son  to  death.  There  sat 
Brutus  as  judge.  To  his  hands  was  committed  the 
order  of  the  state.  Before  him  stood  his  boy — fair- 
haired,  blue-eyed,  and  hardly  more  than  a  child — look- 
ing with  pleading  eyes  upon  his  father's  stern  coun- 
tenance.    About  the  lad  were  gathered  his  friends  in 

70 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

every  conceivable  attitude  of  agonizing  entreaty.  It 
seemed  to  me  that  I  could  read  the  conflicting  emotions 
in  the  father's  face,  but  Rome  was  greater  than  any 
one  man,  and  the  order  of  the  state  must  be  maintained. 
Far  be  it  from  me  to  push  unduly  the  logic  of  analogy, 
but  I  do  think  that  a  great  many  of  the  objections 
that  are  brought  against  the  atonement,  against  moral 
retribution,  vanish  on  sight  of  that  canvas,  and  this  one 
lesson  that  the  order  of  righteousness  must  be  inflex- 
ibly maintained  is  thereby  taught. 


God,  the  Soul,  and  the  Bible. 

Let  me  ask  your  attention  to  the  two  first  great 
primary  convictions  of  our  Christian  faith — the 
doctrine  of  God,  and  the  doctrine  that  the  soul  has  a 
real  existence.  Bring  these  two  in  relation.  God  seeks 
man  and  man  is  made  that  he  must  seek  God  if  he 
would  be  happy.  You  have  prayer  on  the  one  hand, 
and  the  promptings  of  revelation  on  the  other.  Reve- 
lation is  the  movement  of  God  manward,  and  prayer 
is  the  movement  of  man  toward  God,  and  the  religion 
that  has  no  revelation  in  it  can  have  no  prayer  in  it. 
Strike  down  one  and  you  strike  down  the  other.  Of 
this  mental  gravitation,  the  gravitation  of  man  towards 
God  and  the  gravitation  of  God  towards  man,  the 
gravitation  is  strictest  on  the  part  of  God,  and  thus 
you  reach  the  possibility,  the  probability,  and  the 
reasonableness  of  the  revelation  of  God  to  man,  and 
thus  lay  a  broad  foundation  for  that  Christian  aflirma- 
tion  that  we  have  in  Holy  Scripture,  which  is  revela- 

71 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

tion  in  historic  form.  With  this  the  inspiration  of  the 
Bible  is  perfectly  reasonable,  and  it  is  one  of  the 
elements  of  common  universal  testimony.  I  do  not  say 
that  man  must  have  a  definite  theory  of  inspiration, 
but  that  the  universal  faith  of  the  church  agrees  in 
this,  that  in  the  Scriptures  of  the  Old  and  New  Testa- 
ments we  have  an  authoritative  disclosure  of  the  mind 
and  the  will  of  God.  And  now,  when  we  come  to  open 
the  Scriptures,  what  more  do  we  find?  Does  it  reveal 
to  us  another  element  of  Christian  testimony  over  and 
above  those  to  which  we  have  already  adverted  ?  What 
is  the  substance  of  the  prophetic  and  apostoHc  testi- 
mony as  that  testimony  is  to  be  found  in  the  Bible? 
Let  me  answer  that  question.  The  beloved  disciple 
gives  as  the  answer  in  that  short  sentence  in  which 
he  declares  that  "The  testimony  of  Jesus  is  the  spirit 
of  prophecy."  Some  people  will  tell  you  that  they  can 
prove  almost  anything  from  the  Bible.  But  the  Bible 
was  not  given  as  an  authoritative  text-book  of  all 
possible  matters  of  science  and  philosophy.  Its  theme 
is  one,  and  that  theme  concentrates  itself  upon  the 
personal  dignity,  and  mission,  and  ministry  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ.  The  testimony  of  Jesus  is  the 
spirit  of  prophecy.  Christian  doctrine,  therefore,  deals 
pre-eminently  and  specifically  with  what  Jesus  Christ 
has  done,  and  with  what  He  will  do.  In  other  words, 
it  affirms  especially  this  fact,  that  in  His  person  He  is 
truly  and  properly  divine,  and  to  this  it  adds  another 
fact,  that  by  His  obedience,  by  His  atonement  and 
death  on  the  cross,  and  by  His  perpetual  intercession 
at  the  right  hand  of  God,  He  becomes  the  source  of 
energy  and  of  redemption  for  man.     It  may  be  impos- 

72 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

sible  for  any  of  us  to  fathom  the  philosophy  of  the 
Trinity,  but  the  universal  church  has  always  testified 
in  all  her  creeds,  in  all  her  prayers,  and  in  all  her 
songs,  that  in  Jesus  Christ  dwells  the  fullness  of  the 
Godhead  bodily.  Let  us  hold  fast  to  that.  The  atone- 
ment may  be  an  unfathomable  secret  to  you  and  me,  and 
any  statement  that  you  may  have  heard  may  not  have 
been  satisfactory  to  you,  and  certainly  none  that  I  have 
ever  heard  laid  down  has  been  satisfactory  to  me,  but 
the  truth  is  grander,  broader,  deeper,  and  higher  than 
any  exposition  of  it  that  has  fallen  from  the  lips  of 
man,  or  that  has  come  from  his  pen. 


The  Principle  of  Righteousness. 

There  can  be  no  permanent  peace  in  society  that 
does  not  build  on  universal  and  eternal  justice,  in 
which  manhood,  protected  by  law,  supersedes  the 
necessity  of  class  legislation,  and  quietly  obliterates 
the  prejudices  of  race  and  rank;  and  the  best  pre- 
scription for  much  of  the  shallow  and  sickly  thought 
of  our  time,  in  discussions  concerning  the  true  social 
order,  would  be  a  hearty  dose  of  Cicero.  We  shall 
never  reach  settled  results  until  we  assume  that  social 
institutions  are  not  creations  or  inventions,  but  living 
growths,  and  that  social  justice  can  deal  with  classes 
only  by  dealing  with  individuals.  The  administration 
of  public  righteousness  must  be  personal  and  impar- 
tial ;  upon  any  other  basis  it  is  tyranny,  by  whatever 
name  it  may  be  called.  The  ideals  of  Plato  and  of 
Cicero   have   never  yet  been   fully   realized;   but  the 

73 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

travail  of  the  ages  has  been  along  the  lines  they  have 
traced,  and  only  by  the  supremacy  of  a  law  from 
which  ''neither  the  senate  nor  the  people  can  give  us 
any  dispensation,"  whose  ''seat  is  the  bosom  of  God,'' 
and  whose  "voice  is  the  harmony  of  the  world,"  can 
the  happy  goal  of  the  future  be  reached. 

If  Greece  is  the  sanctuary  of  speculative  thought, 
and  Rome  the  great  school  of  practical  statesmanship, 
England  is  the  foremost  representative  of  the  com- 
mercial idea  as  entering  into  the  life  of  nations.  Her 
energies  have  been  concentrated  upon  the  production 
of  wealth.  Her  economists,  following  the  leadership 
of  Adam  Smith,  have  discussed  the  philosophy  of 
trade,  the  sources  of  wealth,  and  the  laws  of  distri- 
bution. The  Anglican  and  the  American  are  known 
throughout  the  world  as  worshippers  of  "the  almighty 
dollar."  But  even  the  spiritual  Plato  says  that  man's 
first  need  was  food,  his  second  a  house,  and  his  third 
a  coat.  If  "nine-tenths  of  life  deals  with  human  con- 
duct," a  very  large  part  of  that  conduct  is  concerned 
with  the  homely  questions  of  bread,  raiment  and  shel- 
ter. To  make  these  questions  predominant  and  ex- 
clusive is  undoubtedly  demoralizing  and  debasing ;  but 
to  ignore  them,  or  to  remand  them  to  a  region  in  which 
righteousness  gives  no  law  and  imposes  no  checks,  is 
to  remand  nine-tenths  of  the  human  race  to  the  slavery 
of  irresponsible  and  fierce  commercial  competition. 
There  must  be  a  morality  of  bread-winning,  otherwise 
morality  is  stripped  of  universal  sovereignty ;  and  if 
righteousness  cannot  bear  rule  in  factories  and  on 
ships  ;  if  it  cannot  mediate  between  capital  and  labor,  we 
might  as  well  burn  our  Bibles  and  close  our  churches. 

74 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES, 

They  cannot  reserve  piety  by  sacrificing  humanity, 
they  cannot  keep  aHve  faith  in  heaven,  if  the  earth  is 
to  remain  a  Hving  tomb. — Socialism  and  Christianity. 


Modern  Socialism  versus  Christianity. 

Modern  sociaHsm  affirms  that  it  is  the  business  of 
the  state  to  so  regulate  industry  that  no  man  shall  be 
compelled  to  beg  for  work,  nor  to  labor  for  simply  the 
necessaries  of  subsistence,  nor  be  haunted  by  the  fear 
of  future  want.     It  would  levy  a  tax  sufficiently  heavy 
to  make  hunger  needless,  and  to  sweep  every  hovel 
from    the    face   of   the   earth,    compelling   every   man 
to  work,  and  guaranteeing  him  against  every  form  of 
suffering.      The    socialist   affirms    that    poverty    is    a 
crime,  not  of  the  individual,  but  of  the  state ;  that  pau- 
perism is  the  artificial  and  cruel  creation  of  capitalistic 
organization,  and  with  the  overthrow  of  the  latter  the 
former   would   disappear.      Herbert   Spencer   regards 
governmental  interference  as  indefensible  and  unjust; 
the  school  of  Marx  demands  it  as  an  inherent  and 
indefeasible  right.     The  former  divests  the  state  of  all 
responsibility,  the  latter  places  the  government  in  "loco 
parentis"  to  every  man.    The  former  would  have  every 
man  bear  his  own  burden,   the   latter  would  compel 
somebody  else  to  bear  it  for  him.     Christianity  com- 
mands us  so  to  bear  each  other's  burden  that  every 
man  shall  be  able  and  willing  to  bear  his  own. 

But  what  is  pauperism?  An  invisible  life  separates 
it  from  poverty.  The  latter  has  been  called  the  great 
industrial  crime,  the  parent  of  ignorance  and  vice,  the 

75 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

social  hell  engulfing  more  victims  than  pestilence  and 
war.  And  such  utterances  appear  in  a  pamphlet  whose 
title  page  contains  the  quotation  from  ''J^sus,  the  Car- 
penter's Son'' — "the  foxes  have  holes,  and  the  birds  of 
the  air  have  nests ;  but  the  Son  of  Man  hath  not  where 
to  lay  His  head."  The  text  does  not  fit  the  indictment ; 
one  of  the  two  must  be  surrendered.  For  the  prizes  of 
life  were  within  the  Nazarene's  reach;  the  path  of 
wealth  and  power  was  open  to  Him  as  to  no  other  born 
of  woman.  He  was  deaf  to  the  solicitations  of  carnal 
ambition.  He  toiled  with  His  own  hands  to  earn  bread 
for  himself  and  His  widowed  mother,  and  through  His 
exacting  public  ministry  He  never  ceased  to  care  for 
her.  He  never  asked  alms  of  any  one,  but  encouraged 
His  disciples  in  pursuing  their  ordinary  callings,  and 
carefully  to  husband  their  united  incomes,  that  they 
might  be  chargeable  to  none.  There  is  not  an  inti- 
mation from  His  lips  warranting  the  claim  that  the 
state  is  any  man's  industrial  debtor.  The  rapacity  of 
the  rich  is  denounced  in  scathing  terms,  but  the  extir- 
pation of  poverty  does  not  appear  as  a  part  of  His  mis- 
sion. He  summoned  to  faith  in  God,  who  clothes  the 
lilies  and  feeds  the  sparrows,  deprecated  the  brooding 
anxiety  that  gave  the  foremost  place  to  food  and 
raiment,  and  exhorted  men  to  seek  first  the  kingdom 
of  God  and  His  righteousness,  to  labor  not  for  the 
ment  that  perisheth,  but  for  the  meat  which  endureth 
unto  everlasting  life.  And  as  He  taught,  so  acted  His 
disciples.  After  His  resurrection  they  went  back  to 
their  boats  and  nets.  Paul  labored  with  his  own  hands, 
though  he  did  not  refuse  occasional  gifts  from  the 
churches  whom  he  had  served,  and  to  the  idle  throng? 

76 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

of  his  day  he  said,  "If  any  would  not  work,  neither 
should  he  eat,"  commanding  all  to  work  with  quietness 
and  so  to  eat  their  own  bread.  The  communion  of  the 
early  church  was  purely  voluntary,  and  seems  to  have 
never  been  transplanted  from  Jerusalem,  where  it  came 
to  a  very  speedy  end,  while  charity  was  never  urged  as 
a  righteous  claim  of  the  poor.  To  the  lame  man  at  the 
temple  gate  Peter  gave  something  infinitely  better  than 
alms,  the  ability  to  walk,  leap,  and  earn  his  own  living. 
The  elimination  of  poverty  never  has  been,  and  is  not 
now,  one  of  the  Utopian  schemes  of  Christianity;  it 
does  urge  to  self-reliance,  industry,  thrift  and  con- 
tentment. 

But  while  Jesus  and  His  disciples  were  poor  men, 
they  were  not  paupers.  They  did  not  ask  other  people 
to  support  them.  They  maintained  their  independence 
and  themselves  gave  alms  according  to  their  ability. 
Here  is  the  invisible  Hne  that  separates  pauperism  from 
poverty,  a  line  that  is  also  an  impassable  gulf.  The 
pauper  and  the  poor  man  stand  at  opposite  poles ;  the 
whole  diameter  of  manhood  stretches  between  them. 
Pauperism  is  the  state  of  voluntary  want,  and  must 
be  heeded  as  such.  The  pauper  is  really  a  drone  and  a 
thief,  who  wants  to  live  by  the  industry  of  others; 
and  from  this  view  the  social  problem  resolves  itself 
into  this :  "What  shall  we  do  with  the  lazy  ?"  And  the 
lazy,  where  are  they?  Not  only  in  hovels  and  cellars, 
but  in  palaces.  Not  only  in  rags,  but  beneath  broad- 
cloth and  velvet.  Every  man  has  the  poison  of  pauper- 
ism in  him  who  wants  something  for  which  he  has  not 
given  a  fair  equivalent,  who  wants  an  easy  and  genteel 
place,  with  good  pay,  who  asks  other  hands  than  his 

77 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

own  to  clear  the  path  for  him.  There  are  paupers  in 
ceiled  houses,  in  government  offices,  in  the  pulpit. 
Thomas  Moore  denounced  the  idleness  of  princes  no 
less  than  the  violence  of  thieves,  and  the  vagrancy  of 
the  indolent  poor.  He  discerned  in  the  former  one  of 
the  most  potent  encouragements  of  the  latter.  The 
poison  at  the  head  embittered  the  whole  stream;  and 
the  only  remedy  was  the  heroic  one  of  compelling 
every  man  to  work.  For  so  long  as  wealth  is  regarded 
as  enabling  some  men  to  live  without  productive  toil, 
others  will  study  to  secure  places  where  the  demands 
are  least  exacting,  and  others  still  will  be  content  to 
be  always  idle  so  long  as  they  can  satisfy  their  hunger 
and  cover  their  nakedness.  It  is  not  the  millionaire 
who  makes  the  tramp,  but  the  idleness  which  the  rich 
man  encourages  in  his  home  reappears  in  the  beggar 
of  the  street.  It  is  not  poverty,  but  laziness,  that  calls 
for  a  war  of  extermination. — Socialism  and  Chris- 
tianity. 


Triumph  of  the  Christian  Plan. 

The  controversies  of  our  time  on  the  subject  of 
socialism  are  new  only  in  their  form,  and  in  the  grow- 
ing earnestness  with  which  they  are  conducted;  that 
their  difficulties  may  be  traced  to  the  deep-seated 
selfishness  that  controls  and  deforms  human  nature ; 
that  their  increasing  bitterness  is  due  to  the  spread 
of  intelligence  and  the  development  of  conscious  man- 
hood among  all  classes,  and  that  only  an  industrial  and 
social  economy,   in   which  manhood   as   well   as   mer- 

78 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

chanclise  comes  to  its  rights,  can  hope  to  lay  the  foun- 
dations of  the  future  state.  But  the  regeneration  is 
provided  for  in  the  principles  and  precepts,  the  doctrine 
and  the  spirit,  of  Christianity.  The  discontent  of  our 
time  is  hopeful,  if  only  we  deal  with  it  wisely.  Hu- 
manism has  its  birth  and  support  of  the  gospel,  and 
every  new  accession  of  conscious  manhood  is  a  heaven- 
ly baptism,  for  which  we  should  give  thanks.  The 
danger  is  that  zeal  may  outrun  knowledge.  The  en- 
gine, under  full  pressure  of  steam,  may  jump  the 
track,  and  hurl  the  great  train  down  the  embankment. 
Liberty  must  honor  the  authority  of  law.  Men  cannot 
have  what  they  want  simply  for  the  asking.  They  will 
starve  if  they  do  not  work.  They  will  not  rise  unless 
they  become  intelligent.  They  will  remain  poor  unless 
they  are  temperate  and  thrifty.  They  will  provoke 
resentment  and  organized  retaliation  if  they  become 
unreasonable  and  despotic  in  their  demands.  Fire  is 
sometimes  fought  by  fire,  and  the  very  strength  of  a 
party  has  frequently  become  the  prelude  of  its  disgrace 
and  overthrow.  Justice  is  the  security  of  the  state  and 
the  guarantee  of  victory.  And  justice,  though  heaven- 
born,  has  always  tabernacled  on  earth,  and  wrought 
among  man,  and  found  embodiment  in  law.  Her  ban- 
ners do  not  lead  the  army  of  destructive  revolution. 
She  wins  by  appeal  to  reason's  ear,  and  by  the  policy 
of  patient,  dignified  demand.  Let  the  panting  engine 
be  firmly  kept  on  the  ancient  tracks  of  steel.  The 
world's  regeneration,  in  shop,  and  home,  and  state, 
is  to  be  sought  along  the  lines  of  past  endeavor,  lines 
that  are  clearly  manifest  in  the  Christian  Scriptures 
and  in  Christian  history.   Capital  will  not  become  com- 

79 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

munal  possession.  Private  property  will  not  disappear. 
Superior  endowments  and  unflagging  industry  will 
continue  to  command  exceptional  reward.  Competi- 
tion will  not  cease.  But  these  elemental,  industrial 
and  social  forces  will  come  under  a  higher  law,  and  be 
knit  into  a  compacter  and  loving  partnership.  The 
lines  of  power  that  now  are  strained  upon  the  shoul- 
ders of  some,  and  slack  upon  the  necks  of  others,  will 
be  gathered  up  and  held  with  even  firmness  by  the 
palms  that  bear  upon  them  the  print  of  the  nails,  wit- 
nessing to  His  equal  love  for  rich  and  poor.  And 
when  He  rides  in  the  chariot  of  the  world's  industry, 
the  days  of  peace  will  have  come  to  stay. — Socialism 
and  Christianity. 


GNASAPHTHANI?    GNANITHANI ! 
A  Paraphrase   of  the   Twenty-second  Psalm. 

BY   REV.   A.    J.   F.   BEHRENDS,   D.D. 

My  sorrows  have  been  great  and   sore, 

As  years  have  come  and  gone ; 
But  never  in  the  days  of  yore, 

Had  I  been  left  alone. 

One  face  gleamed  through  the  darkest  night, 

To   cheer  me  on  my  way; 
One   voice   smote   with    its    secret   might, 

The  battle's  fierce  array. 

It  came  at  last,  the  dark,  dread  hour, 

When  God  did  hide  His  face, 
While   hell    arrayed    its   hostile   power, 

My   shame   in   blood   to   trace. 

A  scoffing  and  a  scorn  was  I. 

Alike  to   friend  and  foe ; 
The  mocking  lip,  the  lifted  eye. 

The  bitter  hate  did  show. 

80 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 


With  hungry  haste  the  lion  nears, 

Scenting  afar  his  prey, 
Riddled  \yith  arrows,  torn  by  spears, 

I,  panting,  helpless,   lay. 

My  lips  were  parched,  my  heart  stood  stil 

Despair  my  vitals  froze ; 
The  heavens  above,  with  icy  chill, 

Looked  down  upon  my  woes. 

Save  me,  O  God,  my  God,  I  cried, 

Recede  Thou  not  from  me ; 
Draw  near,  O  hasten  to  my  side, 

Thou  art  my  only  plea. 

Holy  art  Thou,  and  I  am  vile. 
But   Thou   art   Israel's   praise. 

Though  Satan  rage  and  men  revile 
Eternal  is  Thy  grace. 

Through  the  Red  Sea,  'neath  Horeb's  fire. 

Thou  didst  Thy  people  lead; 
O  crush  Thou  not  my  heart's  desire, 

As  in  the  dust  I  plead. 

The  brazen  serpent  Thou  didst  rear. 
And  they  who  looked  did  live ; 

O,  quiet  Thou  Thy  servant's  fear. 
Send  me  Thy  glad  reprieve. 

I've  counted  all  Thy  mercies.  Lord, 

Engraved  on  history's  page; 
My  heart  is   trusting  in  Thy  Word, 

Check  Thou  the  lion's  rage. 

Show  me  Thy  face  !  then  let  Thy  sword 

Upon  the  suppliant  fall ; 
For  naught  affrights  my  soul,  O  Lord, 

When   I   can   hear  Thy   call. 

He  answers  not.  His  lips  are  dumb. 

His   face   I   cannot  see; 
My  breath  recedes,  my  hands  are  numb, 

Lama  Gnasaphthani? 

Eli!    Lama  Gnasaphthani? 

Where  are  Thou,  O  my  God? 
Forsaken  ?     No,   it  cannot  be  ! 

I    drive   away   the    thought. 

8i 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

Gnanithani !     What  do  I  hear? 

My  pulses  leap  and  bound, 
My  prayer  is  heard,  laid  all  my  fears. 

The  voice  of  hate  is  drowned. 

For  when  God  speaks  a  holy  calm 

Broods  over  all  the  earth, 
While  stars  and  seas  join  in  the  psalm 

To  which  his  smile  gives  birth. 

Hallel !    Hallel !     Praise  ye  the  Lord  ! 

And  celebrate  His  name ! 
I   trusted  in  His  holy  word, 

Nor  was  I  brought  to  shame. 

His  heart  doth  hear,  His  oath  is  sure, 

The  orphan's  cry  He  heeds ; 
He  spreads  His  banquet  for  the  poor, 

With  finest  wheat  He  feeds. 

To  all  the  world  will  I  proclaim 

His  glorious  faithfulness. 
And  summon  all  who  know  His  name 

To  serve,  adore,  and  bless. 

The  kingdoms  of  the  earth  are  His, 

The  nations  great  and  small; 
His  loving  hands  my  lips  shall  kiss, 

O  crown  Him  Lord  of  all ! 

— Brooklyn  Eagle,  May  5,  1889. 


PARAPHRASE  OF  PSALM  XVL 

BY   REV.   A.   J.   F.   BEHRENDS,   D.D. 

Eternal   God,  I  hide  in  Thee, 

My  sovereign  and  my  song ! 
I  look  to  Thee,  alone  to  Thee, 

Amid  the  hostile  throng. 

The   princes   of   the   earth   are  they, 
Thy  grace  in  sainthood  keeps ; 

And  when  they  fold  their  hands  to  pray, 
My  heart  with  rapture  leaps. 

82 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

I  will  not  join  with  them  who  stand, 

Neath  shrines  of  hist  and  blood ; 
Their  names  my  lips  shall  never  brand, 

0  Thou  most  holy  God ! 

My  heritage  art  Thou,  O  Lord, 

And  Thou  my  daily  bread; 
Though  Satan  should  unsheathe  his  sword, 

1  sing,  and  know  no  dread. 


The  hand  which  hollowed  out  the  seas 
And  gave  the  lands  their  form. 

Hath  given  to  me  a  realm  of  peace, 
Of  sunshine  without  storm. 


A  land  of  gardens  and  of  flowers, 
Where   Spring   immortal   reigns. 

With  palaces  and  leafy  bowers. 
Whose  like  no  monarch  gains. 

When  I  need  counsel,  Thou  art  near, 
Though  slumber  hold  mine  eyes : 

My  steadfast  heart  can  know  no  fear. 
Though  hosts  against  me  rise. 

Merry  am  I,  my  heart  doth  leap  ! 

I  lay  my  body  down, 
por  Thou,  O  Lord,  my  soul  dost  keep, 

Though  death  upon  me  frown. 

Each  morning  brings  me  glad  release, 

And  I  go  forth  refreshed : 
Through  Sheol,  too,  my  path  is  peace, 

I  am  forever  blest. 

I   cannot  see  the  way,   O  Lord, 
The   shadows  are  too  deep, 

But  I  have  heard  Thy  promise,  Lord, 
The  oath  which  Thou  wilt  keep. 

The  day  will   come  when   I   shall   see, 

Thy  glory  face  to  face. 
Where  everlasting  pleasures  be, 

And  hearts  o'erflow  with  praise. 


83 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 
PARAPHRASE    OF    PSALM    XIX. 

BY   REV.   A.    J.    F.   BEHRENDS,   D.D. 

The  heavens  declare  Thy  glory,  Lord, 

And  earth  joins  in  the  strain; 
Each  morning  smites  the  golden  chord, 

Night  echoes  the  refrain. 

Speech  there  is  none,  the  lips  are  mute, 

In   this   great  choral   song; 
Yet  round  the  earth  with   silver  flute, 

Moves  on  the  endless  throng. 

Arcturus  sings,  the  Pleiades 

With   sevenfold  harmony, 
Orion's  deep-toned  melodies 

Enrich  the  symphony. 

In  dazzling  robes  the  Sun  comes  forth. 

With   hand  on   harp  of  fire, 
While  from  the  South,  and  from  the  North, 

Their  cymbals  strike  the  choir. 

Over  the  arched  firmament 

Their  path  of  triumph  lies ; 
And  whereso'er  their  steps  are  bent, 

The  sable  monarch  flies. 

On  mountain  top,  'mid  snow  and  rain. 

The  sunbeams  dance  and  play ; 
And  when  they  kiss  the  sheeted  plain, 

The  frostwork  melts  away. 

Pastures  are  robed   in   living  green, 
Spangled  and  fringed  with   flowers; 

The  hills  reflect  the  golden  sheen, 
Joy   reigns   in   all    earth's   bowers. 

A  resurrection  glory  rests 

On    Esdraelon's    vales : 
And   distant   Hermon's   many   crests 

Are    fanned    by    summer   gales. 

Thy  law  is  like  the  Sun,  O  Lord, 

It   bringeth   light   and    life; 
Great  strength  Thy  promises  afford. 

And  wisdom  for  the  strife. 

84 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 


Pure  are  Thy  statutes,  clean  Thy  fear, 

Enlightening  the  eyes; 
Transfiguring  each  silent  tear, 

For  him  who  to  Thee  flies. 

The  finest  gold  from  Ophir's  mines, 

And  pearls  from  ocean's  bed, 
Compare  not  with  the  gracious  lines 

In  which  Thy  truth  is  read. 

The  sweetness  sipped  from  lilies  fair. 

Or  drawn  from  Sharon's  rose, 
Seems  bitter  when  the  peace  I  share 

Which  from  Thy  statutes  flows. 

Nor  do  the  thunders  from  Thy  voice 

Afl"right  my  listening  ears ; 
Thy  judgments  make  my  heart  rejoice, 

And  keep  mine  eyes  from  tears. 

Righteous  art  Thou,  I  give  Thee  praise ! 

For  Gilead's  balm  is  Thine ! 
The  stain  of  sin  Thou  can'st  erase, 

And  cause  my  face  to  shine. 

Preserve  my  lips  and  keep  my  heart 

From  all  transgression  free; 
Thy  grace,  O  Lord,  to  me  impart, 

For  I  would  holy  be. 

My  Rock  art  Thou,  my  Fortress  strong. 

My  ever  watchful  friend ! 
From  danger  guard,  keep  me  from  wrong, 

Thy  servant,  Lord,  defend. 


SING  TO  THE  HEART  OF  JESUS. 
Translated  from  the  German. 

BY  REV.   A.   J.   F.   BEHRENDS,   D.D. 

Sing  to  the  Heart  of  Jesus, 
O  heart  of  mine,   in  love, 
And  let  the  joyful  anthem 
Pierce  all  the  clouds  above. 

With  praise  and  benediction, 

Now  and  on  every  shore. 
Hail  to  the  Heart  of  Jesus 
The  holiest  evermore! 

8s 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

O  Heart,  in  anguish  broken, 

For  me,  from  love  divine, 
By  point  of  spear  pierced  sorely, 

Thro'  this  great  guilt  of  mine. — Ref. 

O  Heart,  so  gently  streaming 

With   water  and  with  blood, 
How  from  Thy  Cross,  uplifted, 

Grace   rushes   like   a   flood ! — Ref, 

O  Heart,  in  purest  fire  flames, 

Consumed  by  love  divine, 
All  things  to  me  are  granted, 

In  that  dear  Name  of  Thine  ! — Ref. 

O   Jesu-Heart,   one   prayer 

On  earth  I  breathe  to  Thee : 
Keep  in  its  secret  shrine,  Lord, 

A  little  place  for  me! — Ref. 

True,   I  am  very  sinful, 

A  lamb,  soon  lea  astray : 
But,  lo !  I  let  Thee  find  me. 

Good  Shepherd,  be  my  Way ! — Ref. 

0  cleanse  my  soul  and  spirit 

In  Thy  Heart's  precious  blood ; 
Then,  as  Thy  bride,  elect  me, 
O  Thou,  my  highest  good. — Ref. 

As  Thy  great  heart  was  gentle, 

Holy,  and  without  pride; 
So  be  my  heart,  in  likeness, 

To  Thine,  dear  Lord,  allied ! — Ref. 

Begone  all  vain  ambitions. 
The   world's  consuming  fires ; 

1  will  love  only  Jesus, 

To  Him  my  heart  aspires. — Ref. 

Oh  !  who'll  give  me  the  dove  wings, 

Plumed  for  that  Heart  divine? 
I'd  soar  o'er  mount  and  valley, 

To  make  that  refuge  mine. — Ref. 

Thy  wounds,  Heart-Jesu,  draw  me. 

For  rest  to  them  I  fly; 
And  thence,  in  weal  and  anguish, 

To  all  the  world  I  cry : — Ref. 

86 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 


And  when  my  eyes  are  breaking, 
When  sun  and  stars  decline ; 

Dying,    my   lips    shall    whisper, 
O  Jesu-Heart,  I'm  Thine  ! — Ref. 


LORD,  I'M  TRUSTING. 
Translated  from  the  German. 

BY   REV.   A.    J.   F.   BEHRENDS,   D.D. 

Lord,  I'm  trusting, 
Lord,  I'm  hoping, 
Lord,  I  love  Thee  from  my  heart ! 
Speak,  O  Lord,  Thy  servant  heareth, 
Guard  me  from  the  world's  deceit, 
For  Thou  art  my   friend   and  keeper. 
Throned  upon  the  mercy  seat. 
In  my  trusting, 
In  my  hoping. 
In  my  loving. 
Strengthen  me. 

Lord,  I'm  trusting. 
Lord,  I'm  hoping. 
Lord,  I  love  Thee  from  my  heart ! 
Should  all  men  forsake  and  leave  me, 
Thou  wilt  not  deceive  me,  Lord, 
Naught,  O  Lord,  is  hidden  from  Thee, 
Perfect  peace   Thy  words   afford. 
In  my  trusting,  etc. 

Lord,  I'm  trusting. 
Lord,  I'm  hoping. 
Lord,  I  love  Thee  from  my  heart ! 
One  true  God  in  persons  threefold, 
Who  in  light  unclouded  dwell. 
Same  in  essence,  power  endurance, 
All  Thy  works  Thy  wonders  tell. 
In  my  trusting,  etc. 

Lord,  I'm  trusting, 
Lord,  I'm  hoping, 
Lord,  I  love  Thee  from  my  heart ! 
Father,  in  the  heights  celestial, 
Upon   Thee   I   fix   my   heart; 
Should  all  men  and  devils  hate  me. 
Thou  from  me  wilt  never  part. 

In  my  trusting,  etc. 

87 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 


Lord,  I'm  trusting, 
Lord,  I'm  hoping, 

Lord,  I  love  Thee  from  my  heart ! 

Son  of  God !     Thy  cross  and  passion, 

Save  me  from  eternal  death ; 

By  Thee  are  the  heavens  opened, 

Thee  I  praise  with  joyful  breath. 
In  my  trusting,  etc. 

Lord,  I'm  trusting. 
Lord,  I'm  hoping. 
Lord,  I  love  Thee  from  my  heart ! 
Holy  Spirit !  let  me  never 
Feel  the  kindling  blush  of  shame, 
Make  me  bold  the  faith  to  honor, 
And  to  bear  the  Christian  name. 

In  my  trusting,  etc. 

Lord,  I'm  trusting, 
Lord,  I'm  hoping, 

Lord,  I  love  Thee  from  my  heart ! 

Thou  shalt  be  my  only  treasure, 

Thou  shalt  be  my  only  joy; 

And  the  task  which  Thou  approvest. 

Shall  in  love  my  hands  employ. 

In  my  trusting,  etc. 

Lord,  I'm  trusting. 
Lord,  I'm  hoping. 
Lord,  I  love  Thee  from  my  heart ! 
Naught  from  Thee  shall  separate  me, 
Though  the  world  its  firebrands  wave, 
Thus  to  force  me  to  deny  Thee, 
I  will  sing  while  yawns  the  grave. 
In  my  trusting,  etc. 

Lord,  I'm  trusting, 
Lord,  I'm  hoping. 
Lord,  I  love  Thee  from  my  heart ! 
When  my  breath  grows  faint  and  feeble. 
And  I'm  numbered  with  the  dead, 
Graven   on  my  heart  forever. 
Radiant,  shall  these  words  be  read : 
In  my  trusting,  etc. 


88 


3totti  ^  am  Crusting 

(Arranged  by  Lewis  H.  Moore) 


1.  Lord,      I'm      trust    -    ing,   Lord,      I'm       ho    -     ping,   Lord,        I         lo 

1^   I  J 


I         love      Thee 


Itoin        my    heart!        Speak,        O       Lord,      Thy 


vaut    hear  -   etb, 


m^. 


:^~ 


-& — 
I 


li^^tl 


:l=c: 


H^ 


LfEES 


^iE^Hiil 


iE 


rt  my 


Guard       me      from        the       world's      de    -   ceit. 


For      Thou        art  my 

(2-  #-  (2-_  ■*- 


!  friend    and  keep  -  er,     Throned    np 

I 


-t~r- 

friend    and  keep  -  er,     Throned    np   -   on       thy      mer   -    cy  -  seat 
I  '  I 


In        my 


:=1=|:=?: 


aiiiill^?^l=W?i'^f^i^s: 


r- 

trust  -  ing       In       my       ho    -   ping.    In        my    •  lev   -   ing,  strengthen       Die  ! 


«       ^ 


^ii^irt^MMii 


l^ail  to  tl)c  l^cart  of  Sc^u^ 


(Arranged  b_v  Lewis  H.  Moore) 


iE^ 


1.  Sing    to 

2.  O   Heart, 


Heart       of     Je    -    sus,       O     heart    of  mine,     in      love.      And 
au  -  guish  brok  -   en.     For      me,  from  love      di  -  vine,       By 


^^m^^s^w^^^^^m 


Befrain. 


^liipp^^^^^ 


let    the   joy  -  fnl     an  -  them  Pierce  all  the  clouds  a  -  bove.    With  praise  and  ben  -  e - 
point  of  spear  pierced  sore-  ly.  Thro'  this  great  guilt  of  mine.    "With  praise,  etc. 


^HS^J^ii^i^iiiii^^? 


die  -  tion.  Now,  and     on    eve  -  ry   shore.     Hail     to    the  Heart  of       Je  -   sus,   The 


Holiest,  ev  -  er-  more !  ELail     to  the  Heart  of     Je 


4-^— 


p — -P— 4- — \-     4 — I — I — r 


sus.  The  Holiest,  ev  -  er  -  more  ! 
^.    ^     M.    ^. 


^^-EfeEES 


r — 1—1 


s$Bm 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 
Introduction  to  Birdseye  Views  of  the  Bible. 

Our  traditional  estimate  of  the  Bible,  as  a  book 
standing  by  itself  and  apart,  often  places  the  reader 
at  a  certain  disadvantage.  It  creates  an  intellectual 
prepossession  that  prevents  a  natural  and  free  hand- 
ling, and  in  this  way  its  mightiest  charm  is  lost.  Its 
voices  sound  hollow  and  distant,  when  they  are  really 
living  and  near.  The  Bible  is  as  really  the  product 
of  human  conviction  and  experience  as  it  is  of  Divine 
inspiration.  It  is  no  less  from  man  than  it  is  from 
God.  I  propose,  in  the  present  series,  to  approach 
the  Bible  from  its  human  side.  All  I  shall  assume  is 
its  historical  genuineness.  I  shall  not  deal  with  critical 
questions.  I  shall  not  enter  upon  minute  interpre- 
tation. I  shall  take  each  book  by  itself,  read  it  care- 
fully in  its  historical  setting,  and  inquire  for  the  main 
impressions  which  the  author  had  in  mind,  and  which 
he  intended  to  convey;  and  in  so  doing,  I  am  sure 
that  w^e  shall  learn  the  lesson  which  God  intended  to 
teach.  We  begin  with  Genesis,  the  Book  of  Origins. 
It  contains  fifty  chapters,  and  an  unsurpassed  wealth 
of  material.  But  the  material  is  not  loosely  put  to- 
gether. I  know  of  no  compacter  writing ;  thirty-seven 
pages  covering  a  period  of  nearly  twenty-four  hundred 
years.  The  book  falls  into  two  divisions.  The  first 
comprises  eleven  chapters,  extending  from  Adam  to 
the  Call  of  Abraham,  a  period  of  over  two  thousand 
years ;  the  second  comprises  thirty-seven  chapters, 
extending:  from  the  Call  of  Abraham  to  the  death  of 
Joseph,  a  period  of  nearly  three  hundred  years.  The 
Call  of  Abraham  is  the  point  on  which  the  book  swings. 

89 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

It  is  the  history  of  a  single  family  with  which  the 
greater  part  of  the  book  deals,  and  all  that  precedes 
the  twelfth  chapter  is  really  of  the  nature  of  a  preface. 
In  this  preface  there  is  a  studied  and  deliberate  brevity. 
It  gives  a  rapid  account  of  the  Creation,  of  the  Fall, 
of  the  Deluge,  and  of  the  Dispersion  at  Babel.  And 
of  this  compact  story  the  salient  features  are  the  unity 
and  holiness  of  God,  the  dignity  and  freedom  of  man, 
the  nature  and  awful  consequences  of  sin,  the  right- 
eousness and  mercy  of  God's  moral  rule.  These  are 
the  great  intrinsic  evidences  of  its  truthfulness.  But 
how  could  Moses  have  known  these  things?  The 
genealogical  tables  supply  the  answer.  From  these 
it  appears  that  Adam  lived  to  see  the  eighth  generation 
of  his  descendants,  overlapping  the  birth  of  Methu- 
selah 243  years,  and  that  of  Lamech  56  years.  To  all 
these  generations  Adam  had  communicated  the  facts 
with  which  he  was  conversant.  Methuselah  lived  until 
the  very  year  of  the  Flood,  overlapping  the  birth  of 
Noah  600  years.  After  the  Flood,  Noah  lived  three 
hundred  and  fifty  years,  dying  only  two  years  before 
Abraham  was  born.  Methuselah,  Noah,  Terah,  these 
are  the  three  links  by  which  Adam  and  Abraham  are 
joined,  and  through  whom  the  primitive  traditions 
were  carried  over  a  period  of  nearly  2,100  years.  And 
with  the  time  of  Abraham  we  are  in  the  period  of 
written  documents,  to  which  Moses  must  have  had 
access.  But  it  is  with  the  Call  of  Abraham  that  the 
real  history  of  Genesis  begins.  Abraham  is  the  hero 
throughout;  and  to  understand  him  is  to  pierce  the 
secret  of  this  book.  Simple,  strong  faith  in  God,  whom 
he  obeys  without  hesitation,  is  the  dominant  trait  of  his 

90 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

character.  In  Jacob  we  come  to  the  tragic  chapter 
in  the  history  of  this  wonderful  family.  And  when 
you  read  the  life  of  Joseph,  it  seems  almost  as  if  the 
innocence  of  Eden  had  been  restored.  Surely,  to  have 
had  such  a  grandson  as  Joseph  must  have  been  re- 
ward enough  for  Abraham's  exile.  Abraham  preaches 
faith ;  Isaac  preaches  patience ;  Jacob  preaches  the 
necessity  and  the  aim  of  moral  discipline,  that  piety  and 
purity  may  not  be  severed ;  and  Joseph  preaches  the 
beauty  of  holiness,  and  the  honors  that  await  the 
righteous. 


Missionary  Philosophy. 

The  Gospel  is  ours  in  trust  for  the  world,  and  our 
passion  for  its  dissemination  must  be  world-wide.  It 
is  for  the  world  what  the  Nile  is  to  Egypt.  That  land 
was  once  a  garden.  It  is  now  a  comparative  desert. 
What  has  made  the  change?  Neglect  of  irrigation. 
The  Nile  is  as  friendly  as  ever ;  but  miles  of  canals 
have  been  abandoned  and  fallen  into  neglect.  The 
Gospel  is  a  river  of  life.  Its  banks  are  the  Christian 
nations.  When  you  plant  a  mission  at  Bethseda, 
among  the  freedmen,  on  the  Pacific  Coast,  in  China 
or  in  Africa,  you  are  digging  a  canal  through  which 
the  healing  stream  begins  to  flow.  We  must  keep  in 
repair  all  that  we  have,  and  we  must  dig  many  more 
until  the  whole  earth  shall  be  covered  with  a  network 
of  them.  Then  shall  the  wilderness  blossom  with  roses 
and  echo  with  the  voice  of  gladness.  This  is  the  first 
and  the  final,  as  it  is  the  conclusive  argument  for  mis- 
sionary devotion.     I   do  not  say  foreign  missions  as 

91 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

distinguished  from  home  missions,  for  in  the  last 
analysis  it  is  all  home  missions.  "The  world  is  my 
parish,"  cried  John  Wesley.  Commerce  exacts  tribute 
from  every  clime,  and  there  is  not  a  day  that  passes 
over  your  head  when  the  whole  world  does  not  con- 
tribute to  your  comfort  and  security.  The  round  earth 
is  every  man's  home.  And  so  I  might  reverse  my  plea 
and  lay  siege  to  your  thought  at  the  gate  of  self-love. 
You  can  accumulate  only  by  giving  away,  by  intrusting 
to  other  hands  what  you  have.  You  grow  poor  by 
hoarding.  Astronomers  tell  us  that  Orion  responds 
to  every  pulse-beat.  The  universe  is  one,  and  the 
pebble  at  your  feet  would  be  shattered  should  the 
planet  above  you  break  forth  from  its  moorings.  There 
must  be  order  everywhere,  if  there  is  to  be  order  any- 
where. A  murder  in  Whitechapel  alarms  the  world's 
metropolis,  and  sends  a  thrill  of  horror  through  all 
lands.  You  cannot  have  pandemonium  in  one  ward 
and  paradise  in  all  the  others.  The  entire  city  must 
be  under  control.  Municipalities  and  states  touch 
each  other,  and  nations  must  act  in  concert  to  preserve 
the  peace  of  the  world  and  maintain  their  own  safety. 
You  may  keep  the  Chinaman  out  if  you  like,  by  legis- 
lative enactment;  but  if  you  think  that  300,000,000 
of  Mongolians,  a  fair  specimen  of  whose  race  you  have 
probably  never  seen,  are  to  be  kept  from  the  world's 
council  chamber,  you  are  to  be  pitied.  If  the  moral- 
ity of  the  Occident  cannot  make  its  way  into  the 
Orient  and  subdue  it,  then  the  life  of  the  Orient  will 
swamp  the  morality  of  the  Occident.  The  battle  must 
be  fought.  I  confess  that  I  am  not  wholly  unselfish  in 
my   zeal   for  missions.      My   own   redemption   tarries 

92 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

until  the  whole  earth  shall  have  been  won  for  Christ. 
That  day  may  be  hastened  or  hindered,  and  I  want  it 
hastened.  I  am  anxious  for  the  crown  and  the  rest; 
but  I  must  wait  for  the  final  and  eternal  award  until 
the  last  stronghold  of  paganism  shall  have  been  cap- 
tured. Therefore  do  I  want  to  do  my  part,  and  I  want 
you  to  do  yours.  Therefore  am  I  anxious  that  we  shall 
not  lag  behind  the  Providence  of  God,  but  occupy 
every  post  that  we  can  command.  Of  the  issue  I  have 
no  doubt.  The  tide  of  the  world's  battle  turned  when 
the  stone  rolled  away  from  Joseph's  sepulcher.  The 
risen  Christ  hurled  Satan  from  his  seat  of  power.  It 
is  a  broken  army  whose  columns  we  are  pursuing,  and 
what  we  need  is  to  push  the  pursuit  vigorously,  giving 
the  enemy  no  chance  to  recover  his  breath.  It  might 
be  said  that  the  churches  are  doing  all  they  can.  There 
are  heroism  and  generous  giving.  But  they  are  the 
exception.  Of  the  4,404  Congregational  Churches  in 
the  country,  less  than  1,500  gave  $25  each  last  year 
to  the  American  Board;  1,000  gave  only  $50  each,  and 
less  than  750  gave  $100  each.  Surely  there  is  room 
for  improvement  (October,  1888).  But  I  can  reach 
only  you.  Have  you  done  what  you  could?  Cannot 
you  increase  your  gift  30  per  cent,  for  Christ  and  the 
world's  sake?  Let  me  say,  too,  that  the  modest  gift 
has  the  promise  of  a  blessing  and  the  pledge  of  power. 
The  pennies  of  the  children,  the  dollar  of  the  working 
man,  the  check  of  the  rich,  are  all  needed.  They  will 
not  quarrel  on  the  plate.  They  clasp  hands  in  the 
bank.  They  will  go  together  on  their  mission  of  heal- 
ing to  the  ends  of  the  earth.  Do  what  you  can ;  pray 
as  you  give,  and  give  as  you  pray. 

93 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

[Instead  of  the  30  per  cent,  increase  as  suggested 
by  Dr.  Behrends,  the  congregation  responded  at  the 
rate  of  an  increase  of  300  per  cent.] 


How  TO  Study  the  Bible. 

The  noble  minded  man  is,  first  of  all,  open  to  con- 
viction. He  does  not  assume  to  be  omniscient.  He 
does  not  claim  infallibility.  He  is  willing  to  learn 
from  any  one,  and  is  ready  to  deal  fairly  with  any 
new  doctrine.  But  while  he  holds  the  scale  with 
impartial  hands,  he  has  his  weights,  by  reference  to 
which  his  judgments  are  determined.  He  has  his 
tests  by  which  he  distinguishes  the  true  metal  from 
its  imitations.  He  does  not  bankrupt  himself  at  every 
adventurer's  bidding.  There  are  things  in  regard  to 
which  he  refuses  to  be  drawn  into  debate.  He  is  sure 
of  them;  and  by  them  he  tests  the  novelties  that  he 
is  asked  to  believe.  To  act  on  any  other  principle 
would  make  all  progress  in  knowledge  impossible,  and 
introduce  the  reign  of  an  eternal  moral  chaos.  Is  not 
that  the  way  in  which  we  proceed  in  science  and 
invention  ?  The  toilers  in  these  departments  constitute 
a  guild,  building  on  each  other's  achievements,  care- 
fully preserving  and  guarding  each  slightest  advance. 
There  is  a  vast  amount  of  old-fashioned  thought  that 
we  consolidate  into  our  submarine  cables,  and  into 
our  bridges  of  steel.  The  new  is  evermore  dovetailed 
into  the  old.  It  is  only  common  sense  as  applied  to 
religion  to  follow  the  same  rule.  God  has  at  no  time 
left  Himself  without  witness.     His  character  and  the 

94 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

principles  of  His  government  are  not  a  modern  dis- 
covery. Even  where  the  Bible  has  not  been  known 
the  stars  have  lighted  the  way  to  His  throne  and 
conscience  has  interpreted  His  judgments.  The  tragic 
poetry  of  Greece  is  full  of  the  soundest  orthodoxy. 
On  this  bedrock  of  natural  religion  the  Bible  builds, 
assuming  the  existence,  the  omnipotence,  the  holiness 
of  God,  the  spirituality  and  immortality  of  the  human 
soul  and  the  universal  reign  of  moral  law.  And 
though  there  be  two  sections  in  the  Christian's  Bible, 
separated  by  four  hundred  years,  they  are  as  insepar- 
able as  are  the  trunk  and  the  roots  of  a  tree.  The 
Bereans  were  right.  They  were  open  to  conviction, 
but  they  had  a  Bible  in  their  hands,  and  even  Paul 
must  prove  that  his  new  and  startling  message  about 
a  Risen  Christ  harmonized  with  the  older  revelation. 
And  so  they  searched  the  Scriptures  daily,  bringing 
to  their  task  both  patience  and  critical  sagacity. 
They  avoided  both  superficiality  and  hastiness.  The 
question  is  still  a  perplexing  one  to  many  readers. 
Shall  I  read  my  Bible  as  a  Divine  or  as  a  human  book? 
Is  the  doctrine  of  its  inspiration  a  preliminary  as- 
sumption for  its  right  interpretation  ?  To  this  we  may 
reply  that  even  on  the  most  extreme  conceivable 
theory,  that  of  inspiration  by  verbal  dictation,  the 
thought  of  God  is  expressed  in  human  language,  in 
words  that  have  a  definite  grammatical,  historical  and 
national  stamp,  and  only  through  these  words  can  the 
creative  and  inspired  thought  be  reached.  For  us  there 
is  no  alternative ;  we  must  pass  from  the  human  to 
the  Divine.  Our  intuitions  and  our  spiritual  eleva- 
tions will  not  relieve  us  from  the  drudgery  of  using 

95 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

our  grammars  and  lexicons.  We  must  use  our  ham- 
mers with  skill  if  we  want  to  get  the  sweet,  unbroken 
kernel.  We  ignore  prepositions  and  conjunctions, 
and  cases  and  moods,  and  tenses  and  idioms  at  our 
peril.  There  is  no  kind  of  painstaking  labor  from 
which  we  can  be  excused  in  the  study  of  the  Bible, 
which  we  do  not  think  of  avoiding  when  we  read 
Aristotle,  or  Goethe,  or  Shakespeare.  So  that  the 
question  involves  nothing  practical  for  the  work  of 
the  interpreter ;  the  exact  meaning  of  the  human  words 
is  the  portal,  for  us,  to  the  exact  thought  of  God. 


The  Name  of  Jehovah, 

That  single  word,  Jehovah,  on  David's  lips,  was  a 
compact,  historical  argument.  It  was  as  if  he  had  said 
to  every  despondent  heart:  "God  has  proved  Himself 
faithful  to  His  covenant  for  a  thousand  years.  Why 
cannot  you  trust  Him  for  threescore  years  and  ten?" 

Now,  that  name  to-day  means  a  great  deal  more 
than  it  ever  did.  Its  significance  is  increasing  all  the 
time.  Around  that  thought  of  Jehovah  there  gathers 
to-day  the  additional  testimony  of  three  thousand 
years.  For  it  was  not  a  speculative,  an  unknown  and 
hidden  God  before  whom  this  old  Hebrew  stood  when 
he  said:  "Be  dumb  before  Jehovah."  But  it  was  the 
incarnate  God ;  that  is  to  say,  the  Deity  embodied  in 
all  the  history  of  a  millennium.  You  and  I  have  four 
millenniums  instead  of  one,  by  which  to  secure  sup- 
port of  our  faith  and  inspiration,  to  our  patience  and 
hope.     For  four  thousand  years  God  has  vindicated 

96 


Union  Congregational  Church,  Providence,   R.I. 
(Dr.  Behrends'  Third  Pastorate) 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

Himself  in  His  character  as  Jehovah,  a  covenant-keep- 
ing God.  You  know  how,  after  David's  time,  Israel 
seemed  to  be  in  danger  of  being  ground  to  powder 
between  the  millstones  of  Eastern  and  Western  ag- 
gression. You  know  how  it  was  only  the  voice  of 
prophecy  that  kept  alive  hope  in  the  hearts  of  a 
despised  and  captive  people.  You  know  how  at  last 
the  fierce  legions  of  Rome  trampled  Jerusalem  into  dust ; 
but  not  until  the  foundations  of  a  greater  and  more 
imposing  commonwealth  had  been  laid  in  all  the  great 
cities  of  the  Roman  Empire.  You  and  I  must  add  the 
triumphs  of  the  Gospel  through  these  eighteen  cen- 
turies to  the  associations  which  clustered  around  that 
ancient  name  in  the  thought  of  every  pious  Israelite; 
and  on  that  account  the  historical  argument  is,  for  us, 
all  the  more  impressive.  We  may  say,  ''If  God  has 
been  faithful  to  His  pledges  for  four  thousand  years, 
why  cannot  you  trust  Him  for  threescore  years  and 
ten?"  Behold,  how  marvelous  His  ways  have  been! 
Think  of  it !  Nearly  six  hundred  years  intervened  be- 
tween the  promise  that  God  made  to  Abraham,  ''This 
land  I  will  give  unto  thee  to  be  thine  heritage  forever," 
and  the  day  when  Israel,  with  flying  banners,  and 
marching  behind  the  ark  of  Jehovah,  forded  the  Jor- 
dan, and  the  walls  of  Jericho  fell !  How  many  times 
their  hearts  must  have  been  despondent !  But  a  thou- 
sand years  in  the  sight  of  God  are  but  as  one  day,  and 
one  day  as  a  thousand  years.  This  is  the  great  argu- 
ment, compacted  into  this  single  word :  "Be  mute 
before  Jehovah."  It  is  not  an  unintelligent  silence. 
It  is  a  silence  which  grows  out  of  a  vision  that  is 
broad  and  deep;  out  of  a  faith  that  feels  itself  stand- 

97 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

ing  upon  foundations  that  cannot  be  removed.  I 
need  hardly  remind  you  with  what  satisfaction  your 
pastor  has  traced  this  great  argument  in  showing 
that  the  divine  origin  of  Christianity  is  indicated  by 
its  historical  effects.  This  is  one  of  the  great  Christian 
evidences,  ever  growing  in  emphasis  and  force:  for 
every  added  century  does  but  make  more  impressive 
this  great  argument  of  God's  incessant  and  continuous 
fidelity. 


The  Spirit  is  Willing  But  the  Flesh  is  Weak. 

No  contrast  can  be  greater  than  that  between  Geth- 
semane  and  the  upper  room  where  Jesus  celebrated 
the  last  Passover  with  His  disciples.  In  the  chamber 
He  had  spoken  of  His  death  with  radiant  face  and 
ringing  words,  and  in  His  prayer  had  brought  the 
heavens  near;  in  the  garden  His  soul  is  troubled  to 
its  secret  depths,  and  He  shrinks  from  the  cup  of 
suffering.  It  was  only  human.  This  is  the  law  of  all 
strong  emotion — from  laughter  to  tears  and  from 
tears  to  laughter.  You  will  recall  Luther's  entry  into 
Worms,  defiant  and  strong,  and  the  sleepless  night 
given  to  agonizing  prayer  before  the  immortal  defense 
on  the  succeeding  day.  All  wondered  at  the  calmness 
of  the  monk  of  Wittenberg.  They  did  not  know  that 
he  had  fought  the  battle  on  his  knees.  Even  so  does 
the  agony  of  the  garden  lie  between  the  glory  of  the 
upper  chamber  and  the  holy  calm  in  Pilate's  hall. 
We  see  a  similar  reaction,  though  on  a  much  lower 
plane,  in  the  disciples.     From  sundown  until  midnight 

98 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

these  men  had  endured  the  severest  mental  and  emo- 
tional strain.  The  entire  week  had  been  full  of  ex- 
citement— the  entry  into  Jerusalem,  the  cleansing  of 
the  temple,  the  debate  with  the  Scribes,  the  treachery 
of  Judas.  Their  sleep  had  been  broken  and  scanty. 
There  is  no  record  of  what  was  said  or  done  during 
the  walk  from  the  city  to  the  Garden  of  Gethsemane. 
The  streets  were  deserted,  and  I  can  see  the  eleven 
with  their  Master  walking  in  silence.  The  midnight 
is  coming  upon  His  spirit.  Never  was  He  so  wide 
awake,  though  He  could  sleep  in  a  rocking  and  half 
submerged  boat.  He  withdraws  to  pray.  But  no 
sooner  does  His  face  vanish  among  the  olive  trees 
than  the  exhausted  body  exacts  its  rights  from  those 
who  have  been  left  to  watch.  Even  Peter  and  John 
sleep.  They  were  not  heartless ;  they  were  simply 
tired ;  and  though  waked  once,  they  could  not  keep 
their  heavy  eyes  open.  I  cannot  blame  them,  for 
Christ  did  not,  leaving  them  undisturbed  when  He 
came  to  them  the  second  time.  It  made  Him  sad  to 
find  that  they  could  not  watch  with  Him  one  hour; 
He  saw  and  pointed  out  the  peril  to  which  their  weak- 
ness exposed  them,  and  urged  the  necessity  of  vigil- 
ance and  prayer;  but  the  tones  of  His  voice  must 
have  been  full  of  gentleness  when  He  spoke  to  them 
as  the  unwilling  victims  of  bodily  infirmity.  They 
meant  to  watch.     They  slept  in  spite  of  themselves. 

The  exhortation  to  watch  and  pray  emphasizes  the 
danger  of  yielding  too  readily  to  the  ease  which  the 
body  craves.  The  apology  recognizes  the  fact  that 
the  body  does  impose  limitations  which  no  ardor  of 
the   soul   can   surmount.     We   are  not  to  permit  the 

99 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

body  to  have  Its  way,  and  we  are  not  to  fret  because 
we  cannot  transcend  the  Hmits  which  it  imposes  upon 
our  energy.  A  very  large  part  of  our  practical  piety 
has  to  do  with  the  proper  control  of  the  body.  It 
can  become  your  tyrant,  and  you  can  make  it  your 
ready  and  needful  servant.  Paul  frequently  speaks 
of  the  Christian  as  an  athlete  running  a  race,  engaged 
in  a  wrestling  match.  Such  a  man,  he  reminds  us,  is 
temperate  in  all  things,  keeping  his  body  under.  The 
contrast  between  the  spirit  and  the  flesh  enters  into 
the  framework  of  the  great  apostle's  thought,  and 
while  by  the  flesh  he  frequently  means  the  whole  man 
under  the  power  of  sin,  there  lies  back  of  this  repre- 
sentation the  idea  of  the  body  as  the  sphere  within 
which  sin  most  easily  assaults  the  spirit.  We  know 
that  this  is  true.  Drunkenness,  gluttony,  lust,  indo- 
lence are  the  vices  most  widespread  and  destructive. 
There  are  subtler  sins,  such  as  selfishness,  arrogance 
and  pride,  together  in  fiber  and  more  difficult  of  con- 
quest, but  the  sins  of  the  body  lie  near  at  hand.  Their 
general  form  is  that  of  indolence — letting  the  body 
have  its  way,  with  no  care  for  higher  interests,  and 
no  regard  for  the  future.  That  is  the  essence  of  bar- 
barism, and  there  is  a  good  deal  of  truth  in  the  saying 
that  laziness  is  the  original  sin  under  whose  curse 
the  race  has  fallen. 

It  has  surprised  us  sometimes  how  men  of  vigorous 
frame  accomplish  so  little  and  how  men  of  splendid 
physical  energy  achieve  so  much  and  live  so  long. 
The  secret  is  in  the  mastery  which  the  will  secures 
over  the  body ;  and  to  that  extent  there  Is  truth  In  the 
mind  cure  idea.    There  comes  a  time  when  it  is  better 

100 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

for  a  man  to  jump  out  of  bed  and  throw  the  medicines 
out  of  the  window.  A  resokite  will  breaks  the  force 
of  many  a  slight  ailment,  and  turns  the  scale  in  more 
serious  disease.  No  man  can  afford  to  ignore  the 
fact  that  the  body  is  a  drowsy  giant  who  must  be 
always  under  the  lash.  The  dead  line  is  reached  when 
you  throw  away  the  whip.  I  find  it  harder  every  year 
to  gird  myself  for  work  with  the  pen,  and  the  temp- 
tation grows  to  take  things  easy;  but  I  mount  the 
saddle,  dig  in  the  spurs,  until  the  blood  leaps,  and  then 
I  drop  my  bridle  in  the  swift  and  exhilarating  race. 
The  body  only  waits  to  be  crowded,  but  crowd  it  you 
must,  or  its  lethargy  will  drag  you  down. 

You  are  busy  men.  You  work  at  high  pressure,  and 
the  world  will  not  let  you  do  anything  else.  But  your 
plans  are  always  larger  than  your  achievement,  and 
the  harder  you  work  the  more  there  is  to  do.  The 
spirit  is  willing,  the  flesh  is  weak.  You  are  lovers 
of  your  kind.  The  public  good  lies  near  your  heart. 
The  sins  and  the  miseries  of  the  world  oppress  you. 
If  you  could  only  have  your  way  the  earth  would  be 
a  paradise  at  once.  The  spirit  in  you  is  willing.  The 
prayer  is  on  your  lips:  "Thy  kingdom  come."  You 
mean  it.  You  do  all  you  can,  perhaps,  to  hasten  its 
advent.  But  the  flesh  is  weak.  You  are  not  master  of 
the  situation.  You  cannot  bring  others  to  your  way 
of  thinking.  You  must  bear  with  evils  which  you 
hate.  The  saloon  makes  you  shudder  when  you  think 
of  its  infamous  history  and  deadly  ruin,  but  you 
cannot  close  its  door.  The  Sabbath  desecration  pains 
you,  1)ut  you  cannot  stop  it.  Your  heart  bleeds  when 
you  think  of  the  world  of  suffering,  but  you  cannot 

lOI 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

lift  the  burden.  You  do  what  you  can,  but  your 
hands  are  tied,  and  your  means  are  limited.  The  flesh 
is  weak.  All  this  is  as  true  of  me  as  it  is  of  you. 
Every  day  makes  me  more  conscious  of  the  limitations 
which  the  body  imposes.  There  is  so  much  that  I  want 
to  do  for  you  and  the  thousands  in  this  city  that  words 
of  praise  shame  me,  and  I  have  no  heart  to  review 
the  past.  I  feel  as  if  all  my  work  were  broken  and 
partial,  and  the  wonder  to  me  is  that  anything  remains, 
I  have  my  ideal,  but  I  am  further  from  it  to-day  than 
I  ever  was.  I  long  to  know  you  as  members  of  a 
household  know  each  other.  I  would  know  your 
griefs  and  your  joys,  and  bring  close  to  you  the  min- 
istry of  courage  and  patience.  I  cannot  seek  you  out ; 
will  you  not  come  to  me,  or  send  for  me  when  you 
think  that  I  can  do  you  good?  I  am  not  here  to  win 
applause ;  I  am  here  to  speak  the  great  Master's  words 
and  to  make  life  sweeter  for  you  all.  There's  not  one 
of  you,  from  the  youngest  to  the  oldest,  in  whose 
present  and  eternal  welfare  I  am  not  deeply  interested. 
It  is  enough  for  me  to  look  into  your  eyes,  and  I  pray 
for  you. 


The  Nineteenth  Psalm. 

There  is  an  abrupt  transition  in  this  psalm  at  the 
seventh  verse,  which  has  led  some  to  suppose  that 
the  fragments  of  two  poems  were  joined  together 
by  some  unknown  editor,  and  then  credited  to  David. 
Ewald's  theory  is  that  the  first  six  verses  are  a  ''splen- 
did but  unfinish  fragment  of  the  time  of  David,  to 

102 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

which  a  later  poet  added  the  section  in  which  the 
Law  is  praised."  This  is  a  specimen  of  tlie  arbitrary 
methods  in  which  the  so-called  ''Higher  Criticism" 
indulges,  and  which  discredit  its  claims  to  cautious 
and  conservative  minds.  The  unity  of  a  poem  is  not 
destroyed  by  a  change  in  the  meter,  nor  by  a  transition 
from  description  to  doctrine,  and  that  is  all  we  have 
here.  The  first  six  verses  are  lyrical,  the  next  five 
are  didactic,  and  the  concluding  three  are  devotional. 
It  might  as  well  be  said  that  the  psalm  is  composed 
of  these  fragments.  Nor  can  I  accept  the  more  gen- 
eral view  that  two  separate  topics  are  treated  in  the 
psalm,  as  if  the  first  part  was  devoted  to  the  revelation 
which  God  makes  of  Himself  in  nature,  while  the 
second  part  sets  over  against  this  His  revelation  in 
His  word :  the  bond  of  literary  unity  being  that  of 
contrast.  It  seems  to  me  that  there  is  a  much  simpler 
view.  I  am  not  willing  to  suspect  an  author,  much 
less  an  inspired  author,  of  looseness,  in  his  unfolding 
thought,  unless  the  evidence  be  very  much  stronger 
than  that  which  this  psalm  supplies. 

The  theme  of  the  psalm  is  the  Law  of  God,  as  con- 
tained in  promise  and  precept,  enlightening,  enriching 
and  defending  the  soul.  In  six  crisp  sentences  its 
glory  is  described,  and  these  are  followed  by  four 
others,  dwelling  with  loving  eagerness  upon  the  com- 
pleteness with  which  it  provides  for  man's  present 
and  prospective  needs.  This  is  the  heart  of  the  psalm, 
beginning  with  the  seventh  and  ending  with  the 
eleventh  verse.  If  I  may  call  this  psalm  a  temple  I 
should  say  that  these  verses  are  the  main  building. 
Leading  up  to  it  is  a  broad  flight  of  steps  and  a  double 

103 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

row  of  magnificent  columns,  as  in  the  Madeliene  at 
Paris.  The  great  theme  is  approached  by  an  impres- 
sive introduction  in  the  opening  stanza  of  six  verses. 
And  this  building  is  crowned  by  a  great  dome,  or  a 
lofty  spire,  whose  lines  blend  and  are  lost  in  the  open 
air,  as  befits  a  house  of  prayer.  The  great  theme  pro- 
vokes to  self-examination  and  confession,  and  is 
crowned  with  a  plea  that  leads  the  soul  into  the  pres- 
ence of  Him  whose  glory  the  heavens  declare.  The 
theme  has  its  fitting  preface  and  conclusion ;  the  psalm 
thus  naturally  falling  into  these  clearly  related 
divisions. 

And  first  as  to  the  introduction.  It  is  the  greatness 
of  God,  from  whom  the  law  proceeds,  that  it  is  here 
celebrated.  It  is  more  than  descriptive  poetry,  of 
which  there  are  many  specimens  in  ancient  and  modern 
literature,  in  which  the  charms  of  nature  are  recounted. 
The  psalmist  writes  in  a  loftier  strain.  All  this  beauty 
of  heaven  and  earth  has  a  voice,  and  it  is  this  music 
that  fills  him  with  wonder  and  delight.  He  tells  us 
that  what  he  hears  is  not  imaginary:  'The  heavens 
declare  the  glory  of  God,  and  the  firmament  brings 
to  light  the  work  of  His  hands;"  brings  to  light  as 
genius  is  disclosed  in  a  statue,  or  a  cathedral,  or  a 
book.  Nor  is  it  merely  here  and  there  that  nature 
makes  known  the  greatness  and  the  glory  of  its  Maker. 
The  revelation  is  universal,  continuous,  copious. 
Every  day  pours  forth  the  story,  as  full  streams  flow 
from  inexhaustible  sources;  and  night  is  represented 
as  breathing  knowledge,  imparting  it  freely  and  with- 
out stint.  True,  there  is  no  speech,  and  there  are  no 
words.     No  lips  are  seen  to  move,  no  articulate  sen- 

104 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

tences  are  heard.  Yet  no  oratory  is  so  penetrating 
nor  reaches  so  far.  This  Hne  goes  out  into  all  the 
earth,  and  their  unspoken  words  are  heard  in  all  the 
habitable  world.  It  is  a  beautiful  picture.  The  line 
is  the  string  of  a  lyre  or  harp,  and  so  comes  to  stand 
for  the  sound  which  the  harp  emits  when  its  strings 
are  swept  by  the  hand.  Nature  is  a  harp,  whose  vi- 
brating tones  reach  to  the  earth's  boundaries,  over 
mountains  and  seas,  into  desert  and  cave,  through  all 
the  heights  and  all  the  depths,  and  wherever  men  go 
to  build  their  homes  they  hear  the  sweet  and  familiar 
music.  And  that  music  is  the  glory  of  God.  His 
power,  His  wisdom,  His  unchanging  goodness.  These 
home  voices  precede  and  follow  us;  make  populous 
and  radiant  the  bleakest  solitude.  Never  are  you 
alone ;  never  need  you  lack  for  inspiring  and  profitable 
companionship.  Conspicuous  among  this  great  com- 
pany of  singers  and  teachers  is  the  Sun,  who,  as  their 
chief,  never  wearies  in  proclaiming  the  greatness  and 
glory  of  God.  Every  morning  he  flings  aside  the 
curtains  of  darkness  radiant  and  refreshed.  He  is 
eager  for  the  race.  He  leaps  upon  the  path  Hke  a  man 
of  might,  who  does  not  know  what  to  do  with  his 
superabundant  strength.  He  takes  no  rest.  He  does 
not  so  much  as  stop  to  take  breath  in  making  the  vast 
circuit  from  dawn  to  dawn,  and  with  each  daybreak 
he  answers  the  call.  Nothing  is  hidden  from  his 
heat.  The  mists  scatter,  the  clouds  melt  away,  the 
mountain  tops  grow  bare,  the  rivers  break  their  icy 
fetters,  the  birds  wake,  the  Summer  hastens,  the 
harvests  grow  golden.  We  may  judge  the  Maker  by 
this  single  specimen  of  His  handiwork.     If  the  Sun 

105 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

is  so  unwearied,  so  prompt  and  rapid,  so  mighty,  per- 
vasive and  beneficent,  what  must  He  be  who  made 
the  Sun  ?  This  is  the  undertone ;  God  is  never  weary. 
His  resources  are  abundant.  He  moves  with  rapid 
and  strong  step,  and  nothing  can  resist  His  power, 
an  energy  which  enHghtens  and  enriches.  Thus  the 
Sun  suggests  the  very  perfections  of  God  which  His 
word  brings  into  clearer  prominence,  and  on  which 
faith  reposes. 

The  introduction  brings  us  to  the  theme.  No 
paraphrase  of  this  part  of  the  psalm  is  better  known 
and  more  justly  entitled  to  praise  than  the  stanzas  of 
Joseph  Addison,  which  I  cannot  refrain  from  reading 
here: 

"The  spacious  firmament  on  high, 
And  all  the  blue  ethereal  sky,"  etc. 

When  David  wrote  this  psalm  there  was  no  science 
worthy  of  the  name.  There  was  no  geography,  no 
geology,  no  astronomy.  To  us  the  universe  is  infinitely 
more  complicated,  vast  and  wonderful  than  he  knew 
it  to  be,  and  our  conception  of  the  creative  and  sup- 
porting power  of  God  ought  to  be  proportionately 
clearer  and  more  impressive.  It  is  sometimes  said  that 
science  is  atheistic,  that  law  and  evolution  have  elimi- 
nated the  idea  of  God.  I  do  not  believe  it.  On  the 
contrary,  every  advance  in  science  has  deepened  the 
spirit  of  reverence  by  disclosing  the  wonderful  unity 
and  unbroken  order  of  the  universe,  and  science  is 
rapidly  making  it  impossible  for  any  thoughtful  man 
to  be  ail  atheist  in  philosophy.  Pierce  the  words,  law 
and   evolution,   to   the   core,   and   you   find   that   they 

1 06 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

assume  an  eternal,  almighty,  ordering  intelligence. 
We  have  mounted  the  steps,  we  have  passed  the 
threshhold. 

We  come  now  to  the  shrine  where  God  speaks  to 
man,  and  we  find  that  His  utterance  is  worthy  of  Him, 
and  adapted  to  ourselves.  It  is  just  what  we  might 
expect  of  Him,  and  it  is  just  what  we  need.  Here 
we  have  the  supreme  test  of  a  Divine  revelation.  It 
is  not  miracle.  It  is  not  historical  evidence.  It  is  the 
intrinsic  excellence  of  what  is  declared,  and  the  power 
of  that  word  upon  the  hearing  soul.  That  line  of 
thought  is  three  thousand  years  old.  From  the  knowl- 
edge which  David  had  gained  by  an  attentive  study 
of  himself,  and  of  the  world  in  which  he  lived,  he 
turned  to  the  study  of  the  Law — the  Bible  in  his 
hands,  and  he  exhausts  his  vocabulary  in  describing 
its  excellence,  and  its  salutary  effects.  It  is  pure,  as 
incapable  of  improvement  as  is  the  sunbeam ;  it  is 
perfect,  all  its  parts  thoroughly  consistent ;  it  is  sure, 
an  eternal  Amen,  dealing  only  with  indispensable 
truth ;  it  is  clean,  enduring  forever.  The  purest  gold 
in  unlimited  abundance,  cannot  so  enrich  the  soul. 
The  dropping  of  honeycombs  is  not  so  sweet.  There  is 
safety  in  the  admonition  of  the  Divine  precepts ;  there 
is  great  reward  in  their  observance.  You  see  the 
tribute  is  two-fold,  from  examination  and  from  ex- 
perience; just  as  there  are  two  ways  in  which  you 
can  test  the  value  of  a  gold  coin,  by  its  ring  on  the 
table  and  by  its  use  in  exchange.  Read  your  Bible 
attentively ;  mark  the  things  in  it  that  commend  them- 
selves to  you,  alike  in  promise  and  precept,  and  then 
put  them  to  the  test  in  practical  obedience.     It  is  a 

107 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

simple  and  a  sensible  test,  and  a  month's  honest  trial 
would  kill  the  strongest  scepticism,  and  change  indif- 
ference into  enthusiasm.  When  you  stand  on  the 
summit  of  a  mountain,  or  pace  the  deck  of  a  great 
steamship  in  mid-ocean,  you  feel  your  insignificance 
and  weakness.  So,  face  to  face  with  the  greatness 
of  God,  in  power,  wisdom,  holiness,  and  love,  the 
psalmist  is  startled  by  his  own  ignorance  and  moral 
imperfection.  He  dares  not  trust  his  own  judgment. 
The  approval  of  conscience  is  good,  but  he  does  not 
rest  in  that.  God  is  the  only  infallible  judge  and 
therefore  he  is  anxious  that  God  shall  pronounce  him 
innocent.  Strength  of  will  is  good,  nay,  indispensable, 
in  resisting  temptation,  but  that  does  not  make  him 
invulnerable  and  infallibly  secure;  and  therefore  he 
asks  God  to  keep  him. 

These  are  the  three  things  in  his  earnest  prayer :  His 
inmost  heart  is  set  upon  being  holy  in  God's  sight.  He 
pleads  for  the  Divine  forgiveness,  and  he  implores  the 
continued  almighty  protection  of  God.  He  holds  fast 
to  God  and  asks  Him  never  to  permit  him  to  wander 
from  His  side.  So  intent  is  he  on  having  the  Divine 
approval,  that  he  wants  not  only  his  spoken  words, 
but  the  murmur  of  his  heart  to  be  acceptable  to  God, 
whom  he  addresses  as  his  Rock,  unmoved  and  immov- 
able, and  as  his  Redeemer,  his  God,  his  kinsman  and 
defender,  who  is  pledged  to  maintain  his  cause  against 
all  enemies. 

It  is  a  great  thing  to  have  God's  approval  of  our 
conduct.  It  is  a  greater  thing  to  have  God's  approval 
of  all  we  say,  kept  from  all  hastiness  and  bitterness 
of  speech.     But  the  greatest  thing  is  to  have  a  heart 

io8 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

that  never  vibrates  to  a  false  note,  whose  lowest  mur- 
mur makes  the  face  of  God  smile  with  loving  approval. 
Ah,  that  prayer  cuts  deep !  It  leaves  no  room  for  self- 
complacency.  But  the  peace  that  endures  forever,  and 
the  joy  that  is  unspeakable  and  unclouded  come  only 
with  a  purity  in  which  the  murmur  of  the  heart 
answers  the  holiness  of  God.  That  is  the  redemption 
we  need ;  none  other  can  satisfy  us ;  and  the  promise 
of  God  in  Jesus  Christ  pledges  its  ultimate  and  eternal 
possession  to  every  penitent  and  trusting  heart. 


A  Call  for  Church  Unity. 

I  believe  there  is  a  constant,  steady  and  quiet  pres- 
sure toward  the  elimination  of  the  bounds  of  antagon- 
ism between  denominational  bodies.  I  have  looked 
at  this  matter  closely  for  fifteen  years  (December  21, 
1888),  and  I  think  I  judge  the  tendency  aright.  I 
will  not  live  to  see  the  differences  obliterated — I  don't 
want  them  obliterated  if  they  represent  principle,  con- 
science. There  can  be  no  true  fusion  except  on  in- 
tellectual conviction.  I  believe,  nevertheless,  we  have 
passed  the  point  when  divisions  will  go  on  increasing. 
I  do  not  look  for  any  more  denominations.  The  pres- 
sure will  go  on  until  Christianity  will  crystallize  into  a 
few  great  booms.  That  sort  of  fusion  is  likely  to 
continue.  I  would  not  be  surprised  to  see  the  Presby- 
terians and  Congregationalists  falling  into  line  soon. 
The  differences  that  separate  us  are  petty — they  don't 
amount  to  anything.  The  love  of  the  Master  is  the 
main  fact,  and  on  that  we  are  agreed. 

109 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES. 

The  National  Covenant  with  the  Negro. 

The  Emancipation  Proclamation  was  a  solemn  na- 
tional vow,  for  whose  faithful  performance  God  will 
hold  us  to  strict  account.  The  Constitutional  amend- 
ments are  part  of  the  organic  law  of  the  nation.  They 
must  be  obeyed  from  Maine  to  Louisiana.  The  sooner 
that  is  plainly  said  and  perfectly  understood  the  better. 
There  will  be  no  peace  until  the  nation  keeps  its  compact 
sealed  in  blood.  The  cry  of  social  equality  has  nothing 
to  do  with  the  matter.  The  nation  has  nothing  to  do 
with  that.  It  is  political  equality  upon  which  we  must 
insist — a  free  ballot  and  an  honest  count.  Gentlemen, 
the  corruption  of  the  franchise  is  the  gravest  danger 
of  the  hour.  Bribery  at  the  North,  and  intimidation 
at  the  South,  must  be  frowned  down  and  extirpated 
])y  the  strong  hand  of  the  law,  or  the  Man  of  Destiny 
will  plant  his  feet,  under  cover  of  the  popular  demand, 
upon  this  Western  Continent.  When  I  am  told  that 
we  are  forcing  a  race  conflict  by  preaching  political 
equality,  I  answer  that  this  is  the  only  way  of  avoiding 
it.  Intimidation  and  oppression  will  heat  the  coldest 
blood.  The  negro  has  the  spelling  book  and  you  can- 
not tear  it  out  of  his  hand.  He  has  tasted  liberty,  and 
he  will  not  go  back  to  the  hoe  cake  of  slavery.  He 
is  patiently  waiting  for  justice  and  he  has  waited  long; 
but  he  will  not  wait  forever.  The  only  way  in  which  a 
race  conflict  can  be  avoided  is  by  keeping  our  prom- 
ises, by  dotting  the  South  with  school  houses,  by 
developing  and  fostering  a  varied  industry,  by  stimu- 
lating intelligence,  thrift  and  Christian  morality;  and 
in  tliis  work  the  white  men  and  women  of  the  South 

IIO 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

should  be  foremost.  All  honor  to  that  noble  band, 
in  those  States,  who  respond  to  this  view  of  the  prob- 
lem. Let  us  strengthen  their  hands  and  cheer  their 
hearts,  and  let  us  hope  that  the  Republican  party  will 
wisely  and  bravely  solve  that  problem,  until  the 
shackles  of  prejudice  and  passion  shall  be  smitten  by 
the  hands  of  reason  and  law,  as  the  chains  of  slavery 
melted  in  the  fire  of  war. —  [Address  at  Union  League 
Club,  February  13,  1889.] 


Studying  the  Bible. 

There  are  two  practical  methods  open  to  busy  men. 
In  the  first  place,  Christianity  has  been  in  the  world 
for  more  than  eighteen  hundred  years.  It  may  fairly 
claim  to  be  a  respectable  institution.  It  has  never 
secreted  the  documents  of  its  faith.  It  has  had  an 
intelligent  and  virtuous  constituency.  It  cannot  be 
supposed  to  have  been  founded  upon  deception,  and 
to  have  been  maintained  by  fraud.  The  record  it  has 
made  counts  for  something,  for  the  tree  is  known  by 
its  fruit. 

In  the  second  place,  common  sense  would  suggest 
that  the  excellencies  of  the  Bible  should  not  be  thrown 
overboard  on  the  plea  of  difficulties  or  defects.  To 
use  Coleridge's  illustration,  would  any  sane  man  decry 
the  Parthenon  because  here  and  there  he  had  found 
a  flaw  in  the  material  ?  To  say,  as  Coleridge  does,  that 
the  Bible  is  inspired  only  so  far  as  it  finds  us  may  not 
be  the  best  theology,  but  it  suggests  a  very  practical 
way  of  dealing  with  the   Bible.     If  any  one  should 

III 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

offer  you  ten  tons  of  quartz,  would  you  reject  the  gift 
because  it  contained  only  ten  per  cent,  of  gold?  And 
would  you  deem  it  a  waste  of  labor  and  beneath  your 
dignity  to  smelt  the  entire  mass  for  the  sake  of  the 
precious  portion?  No,  you  would  get  every  grain  of 
gold  out  of  that  heap.  Deal  with  your  Bible  in  the 
same  way.  There  are  things  in  it  that  perhaps  seem 
to  you  extravagant  and  puerile.  You  do  not  know 
what  to  make  of  Jonah  and  the  whale.  Does  that 
affect  the  Ten  Commandments?  Does  that  destroy 
the  value  of  the  Book  of  Psalms?  Does  that  make  the 
Sermon  on  the  Mount  worthless?  Does  that  detract 
from  the  matchless  life  of  Christ?  Go  with  the  most 
advanced  critics,  multiply  the  flaws  and  the  faults  as 
you  like,  and  it  still  remains  that  there  is  more  gold 
in  this  one  book  than  in  all  the  literature  of  the  world 
beside.  Hold  fast  to  that  and  shape  your  conduct  by 
it.  I  have  Christ's  authority  for  saying  that  you  are 
not  required  to  do  more  than  this,  and  His  assurance, 
also,  that  by  following  this  simple  method  the  diffi- 
culties will  diminish  as  you  proceed  in  your  reverent 
study.  Let  Coleridge  give  his  testimony  on  this  matter, 
than  whom  no  man  ever  handled  the  Bible  more  freely : 
'This  I  believe  by  my  own  dear  experience,  that  the 
more  tranquilly  an  inquirer  takes  up  the  Bible  as  he 
would  any  other  holy  or  ancient  writings,  the  livelier 
and  steadier  will  be  his  impressions  of  its  superiority 
to  all  other  books,  till  at  length  all  other  books,  and 
all  other  knowledge,  will  be  valuable  in  his  eyes  in 
proportion  as  they  help  him  to  a  better  understanding 
of  the  Biljle.  Difficulty  after  difficulty  has  been  over- 
come from  the  time  that  I  began  to  study  the  Scrip- 

112 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

tures  with  free  and  unboding  spirit,  the  difficulties  that 
still  remain  being  so  few  and  insignificant,  in  my  own 
estimation,  that  I  have  less  personal  interest  in  the 
question  than  many  of  those  who  will  most  dogmati- 
cally condemn  me  for  presuming  to  make  a  question  of 
it."  That  confession  I  can  most  heartily  indorse,  for 
I  have  found  many  a  paragraph  luminous  with  instruc- 
tion when  read  in  the  light  of  its  simple  historical 
setting,  and  many  a  book  to  become  radiant  when 
allowed  to  tell  its  own  story.  For  practical  life,  too, 
the  principle  emphasized  by  our  Lord  has  its  supreme 
value. 


The  Name  of  God. 

In  the  mirror  of  history  David  read  the  vocation 
of  man,  and  the  mind  of  God  as  righteous  and  true, 
as  long  suffering  and  gracious,  as  able  and  willing  to 
save.  How  much  more  clearly  you  and  I  should  read 
and  ponder  that  great  lesson.  David  had  a  single 
page ;  w^e  have  a  library  at  our  command.  We  expect 
from  our  candidates  for  the  ministry  some  knowledge 
of  what  is  called  Church  History,  the  conflicts  and 
triumphs  of  Christianity  through  the  last  eighteen 
hundred  years.  It  is  a  history  full  of  thrilling  chap- 
ters, of  wonderful  preparations  and  deliverances,  of 
steady  and  beneficent  advance.  We  have  three  thou- 
sand years  more  to  teach  us  than  had  David.  And 
wdiat  is  the  burden  of  these  thirty  centuries?  That 
freedom  is  man's  prerogative,  that  intelligence  is  his 
glory,  that  righteousness  is  almighty  and  sovereign, 

113 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

that  man  is  marching  with  steady  feet  toward  his 
dcHverance  from  every  form  of  bondage.  And  man 
is  doing  all  this,  because  such  is  the  election  of  God 
in  his  behalf,  because  an  invisible  guide  beckons  him, 
because  a  secret  voice  inspires  him  with  courage  and 
hope,  because  an  invisible  arm  supports  and  defends 
him. 

Across  the  centuries,  leaping  from  mountain  top 
to  mountain  top,  echoing  through  all  the  valleys, 
bounding  over  all  the  seas,  heard  in  palaces  and 
prisons,  the  terror  of  the  wicked  and  the  comfort  of 
the  oppressed,  sound  the  trumpet  tones  of  righteous- 
ness and  peace.  And  yet  men  live  but  threescore  years 
and  ten,  and  with  each  twoscore  years  a  generation 
passes  away.  By  what  and  by  whom  are  individual 
men  linked  together?  By  what  and  by  whom  are 
generations  locked  ?  By  what  and  by  whom  are  hostile 
races  and  nations  welded  into  partnership?  By  what 
and  by  whom  are  the  centuries  made  to  keep  step? 
Who  beats  the  drum  ?  History  is  more  than  humane ; 
for  man  is  under  the  dominion  of  a  selfishness  which, 
if  left  unchecked,  would  plunge  the  world  into  hope- 
less anarchy.  History  is  divine  and  discloses  the 
excellency  of  God's  name,  who  makes  the  wrath  of 
man  to  praise  Him,  and  overthrows  the  conspiracies  of 
the  wicked;  who  is  true,  and  righteous,  and  patient, 
and  full  of  thoughts  of  blessing.  With  tenfold  em- 
phasis may  we  exclaim :  "Trust  in  God,  O,  ye  saints, 
at  all  times,  and  do  not  turn  into  folly."  For  God  is 
the  universal  and  infallible  Judge,  and  they  that  obey 
His  voice  shall  have  abundant  cause  to  praise  the 
excellency  of  His  name. 

114 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

The  World  for  Christ. 

It  was  with  great  difficulty  that  the  church  came  to 
grasp  the  thought  that  there  must  be  a  conquest  of  the 
whole  world  for  Christ  before  He  should  come  into 
glory.  She  did  not  dream  of  worldly  empire  until 
Rome  fell  before  the  Goth  and  the  bishop  was  invested 
with  political  influence.  The  conversion  of  Constan- 
tine  suggested  a  new  policy  and  gave  a  new  outlook. 
Missionary  enthusiasm  rose  to  the  highest  point.  The 
cross  was  planted  in  France,  Germany  and  England. 
Europe  became  nominally  Christian,  and  in  the  cru- 
sades the  crescent  was  to  be  driven  from  Constanti- 
nople and  Jerusalem.  The  motive  was  a  good  one :  the 
means  used  to  secure  it  were  bad.  The  world  was  to 
be  conquered  by  the  sword,  not  by  the  Gospel  of  Christ. 
The  bishops  were  to  become  princes,  and  the  Pope 
universal  emperor.  Luther  shattered  the  plan.  Men 
came  to  see  that  this  plan  of  empire  was  not  of  God, 
and  that  the  conquest  of  the  world  must  be  by  moral 
forces  and  for  righteousness.  By  the  foolishness  of 
preaching  men  are  to  be  saved,  and  nations  to  be 
reformed,  and  the  earth  to  be  made  a  paradise.  It  is 
a  project  of  overwhelming  magnitude.  It  requires 
heroic  faith  and  unlimited  patience.  To  many  good 
men,  even  in  our  day,  it  seems  chimerical  and  unwar- 
ranted, either  by  Scripture,  or  reason,  or  history. 
With  scores  and  hundreds  of  devoted  men  the  mission 
of  the  Church  appears  to  be  the  saving  of  individual 
souls,  not  the  regeneration  of  human  society;  and  the 
old  longing  beats  in  many  a  heart — the  advent  of 
Christ  to  end  the  present  conflict.     But  what  saith  He 

115 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

who  sitteth  on  the  throne?  Hear  it,  my  brethren: 
"Behold,  I  make  all  things  new!"  Not  "will  make,'' 
but  "make;"  not  the  future,  but  the  present  tense. 
He  is  doing  it  now.  The  regenerating  influences  are 
at  work;  just  as  the  Summer  night  works  in  the 
sheeted  earth  and  through  the  leafless  forests.  The 
undying,  victorious  life  is  throbbing  in  the  pulses  of 
history.  Old  things  are  everywhere  passing  away ;  all 
things  are  becoming  new ;  and  the  point  of  departure  is 
that  first  glorious  Easter  morning.  The  power  that 
rent  the  grave  has  come  to  stay,  and  it  will  redeem  the 
world.  The  Church  of  Christ  is  called  to  empire  by 
the  preaching  of  the  Gospel.  What  an  enlargement 
this  gives  to  your  work  and  mine,  and  what  an  argu- 
ment it  is  to  patience  and  endurance.  We  preach  and 
teach,  we  plant  churches  and  schools,  not  simply  that 
men  may  be  prepared  for  death  and  heaven,  but 
equipped  for  intelligent  service  and  for  aggressive 
work,  until  every  community  shall  be  made  radiant 
in  the  garments  of  Christian  holiness.  All  things  are 
to  be  made  new.  The  process  is  going  on  under  our 
own  eyes,  and  we  may  have  a  part  in  it. 

I  summon  you  on  this  glad  day  to  send  the  light 
of  this  Gospel  into  all  the  earth,  into  all  climes,  and  to 
all  races.  Send  it  into  China,  into  Japan,  into  India, 
into  Africa.  Send  it,  with  all  possible  speed,  into  every 
corner  of  the  American  republic,  into  new  lands  that 
are  opening  to  eager  emigrants,  into  the  older  regions 
just  waking  from  the  slumber  of  a  century,  into  the 
great  plains,  where  a  newly  emancipated  race  is  just 
beginning  to  become  conscious  of  the  responsibilities 
of  manhood  and  citizenship.     The  push  of  Christian 

Ii6 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

civilization  has  been  toward  the  setting  sun:  from 
Jerusalem  to  Corinth,  to  Rome,  to  London,  to  the 
North  American  Continent,  and  from  the  Golden  Gate 
it  must  leap  into  Japan  and  China,  until  the  magic 
circle  is  completed  and  Jerusalem  welcomes  her  long- 
discarded  prophet. 

This  plan  of  campaign  involves  two  things,  aggres- 
sive advance,  and  consolidation  of  resources.  We 
must  throw  out  our  picket  lines,  seizing  the  strategic 
points,  gaining  a  foothold  in  every  land,  while  the 
main  army  steadily  advances  to  complete  the  conquest 
and  to  guard  against  reverses.  No  enemies  must  be 
left  to  create  mutiny  and  to  foster  the  spirit  of  rebel- 
lion. Nations  must  be  thoroughly  Christianized  as 
well  as  individuals;  welded  into  common  sympathies 
and  aims.  Much  remains  to  be  done  in  that  direction 
in  our  own  country.  The  North  and  the  South  must 
become  one  by  the  diffusion  of  intelligence,  by  the 
elimination  of  race  prejudice,  by  the  power  of  religion 
that  shall  master  the  judgment  and  mold  the  character. 
Foreign  missions  are  in  the  hands  of  the  Church  filled 
with  gifts  for  all  the  world;  home  missions  are  the 
muscles  of  the  arm  by  which  the  hands  are  moved. 
We  must  make  the  muscles  of  our  American  Christian- 
ity strong  and  supple,  moving  in  obedience  to  a  com- 
mon will,  if  we  are  to  do  the  best  for  the  world.  Every 
intelligent  observer  knows  that  we  are  still  in  our 
formative  period.  Twenty-four  hours  carry  you  from 
one  type  of  civilization  to  another.  New  England  and 
Western  North  Carolina  are  centuries  apart.  Massa- 
chusetts and  Mississippi  seem  to  have  little  in  common. 

117 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

The  better  day  is  coming,  and  there  are  three  things 
that  are  hastening  it :  the  railroad,  the  school  and  the 
Church. 


The  Law  of  Work  Interpreted. 

Life  has  never  been  a  play.  The  law  of  work  has 
always  been  exacting.  It  has  always  been  hard  to 
make  both  ends  meet.  Sickness  and  death  have 
shrouded  every  age.  But  granting  even  that  matters 
have  been  steadily  going  from  bad  to  worse,  granting 
that  the  past  embodies  all  that  is  excellent,  how  can 
that  be  any  help  to  me?  When  a  man  is  caught  in 
the  whirlpool,  it  is  poor  comfort  to  shout  to  him  that 
a  mile  above  the  stream  is  perfectly  smooth.  When 
a  ship  is  helplessly  tossing  in  the  storm  and  rapidly 
filling  with  water,  how  much  good  would  it  do  to  tell 
the  passengers  that  yesterday  the  ocean  was  radiant  and 
calm?  Go  to  work  at  the  pumps.  Keep  your  tongues 
still  and  your  hands  busy.  That  is  the  sharp  advice 
you  would  give.  The  time  of  danger  is  not  the  hour 
for  speculation  and  sighing.  This  is  the  temper  of  the 
ancient  and  anonymous  preacher  when  he  says,  "Say 
not  thou,  What  is  the  cause  that  the  former  days  were 
better  than  these?  For  thou  dost  not  inquire  wisely 
concerning  this."  He  answers  the  question  as  our 
Lord  replied  to  the  disciples  when  they  asked,  ''Are 
there  few  that  be  saved?"  In  plain  English  the  an- 
swer is  this :  ''That  is  none  of  your  business ;  do  the 
best  you  can  to  save  your  own  soul  and  to  help  your 
fellow-men."     I  think  this  man  had  found  out  that  the 

ii8 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

debate  between  optimism  and  pessimism  is  one  that 
can  never  be  settled ;  the  conclusion  would  not  furnish 
us  one  iota  of  relief.  For  if  the  world  is  getting  better 
it  is  only  because  heroic  men  and  women,  under  God's 
blessing,  are  uprooting  its  evils ;  and  if  the  w^orld  is 
growing  worse  every  day,  it  relieves  no  true  man  from 
the  duty  of  holding  his  ground  as  long  as  he  can. 
If  the  devil  is  retreating,  it  is  because  the  bayonets 
are  gleaming  in  his  face;  if  he  is  advancing,  every  inch 
of  his  progress  must  be  stubbornly  resisted.  In  any 
case,  cowardice  and  inaction  are  inexcusable  and  crimi- 
nal. "Face  to  the  front  and  to  the  foe,"  is  the  order 
that  sweeps  along  the  lines.  Now  that  the  Centennial 
celebrations  are  over  (May  5,  1889),  it  may  be  well 
for  us  to  heed  this  sober  advice.  The  law  of  reaction  is 
always  at  work  in  periods  of  great  excitement.  The 
shout  of  the  many  provokes  the  sigh  of  the  few,  and 
the  few  are  not  altogether  in  the  wrong,  however 
their  silence  and  reserve  may  annoy  us.  Our  eulogy  is 
apt  to  become  extravagant,  and  the  dead  are  clothed 
with  virtues  which  they  never  possessed,  and  credited 
with  a  sagacity  which  did  not  belong  to  them.  When 
we  come  to  know  them  better,  we  find  that  they  were 
men  of  like  passions  with  ourselves,  that  they  builded 
better  than  they  knew,  and  that  the  secret  of  their 
greatness  was  an  incorruptible  devotion  to  present 
duty.  And  so  it  happens  that  when  eulogy  transcends 
its  sober  bounds,  the  contrast  between  the  past  and 
the  present  is  sharpened,  and  some  turn  the  tribute 
of  praise  into  a  scathing  indictment  of  the  present. 
The  shadows  are  always  deepest  where  the  light  is 
most   intense.     The  gleam   of  the   electric  arc  above 

119 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

traces  every  twig  and  leaf  of  tree  In  sharpest  outline 
and  deepest  black  upon  the  sidewalk.  The  pessimistic 
philosophy  ignores  the  fact  of  Divine  providence  and 
the  kingship  of  Jesus  Christ.  There  Is  a  Divine  order 
In  human  history,  and  that  order  Is  never  broken. 
God's  thought  moves  on  with  resistless  might  and  In 
ever  widening  circles.  And  that  thought  is  one  of 
Redemption.  The  burdens  are  to  be  lifted.  The 
shackles  are  to  fall.  The  oppressed  are  to  go  free.  As 
our  City's  motto  has  It:  ''Right  makes  might."  There 
may  be  a  Bull  Run  at  the  beginning,  but  there  will  be 
an  Appomattox  at  the  end.  And  what  a  jubilee  that 
will  be  when  the  Incarnate  Son  of  God  leads  His 
blood-w^ashed  and  triumphant  army  through  the 
golden  streets  of  the  New  Jerusalem. 


Christ's  Life  not  a  Dream. 

In  the  case  of  Christ,  the  conclusion  of  the  First 
Century  is  the  conclusion  of  the  Nineteenth.  That 
First  Century  was  marked  for  the  Intellectual  activity 
of  Its  Christian  communities.  Within  thirty-five  years 
the  whole  of  the  New  Testament  had  been  produced. 
The  facts  of  Christ's  life  had  been  collated.  His  teach- 
ings had  been  weighed  and  compared  with  those  of 
the  Old  Testament.  His  character  and  mission  had 
been  analyzed,  and  In  his  old  age  John  sums  up  the 
universal  judgment  that  the  son  of  Mary  was  none 
other  than  the  Son  of  God,  the  only  begotten  of  the 
Father,  the  Eternal  Word  made  Flesh.  The  force 
of  that  conviction  may  be  measured  when  we  remem- 

I20 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

ber  that  the  first  heresies  called  in  question  the  reality 
of  Christ's  humanity,  but  not  of  His  deity.  The  evi- 
dence of  His  Godhead  was  so  overwhelming  in  that 
early  time  that  men  found  it  difficult  to  believe  in  His 
manhood.  The  doctrine  of  the  incarnation  was  not 
the  invention  of  a  later  time.  It  was  not  of  legendary 
growth,  but  entered  into  the  primitive  apostolic  creed, 
and  it  has  ever  since  remained  the  great  fundamental 
confession  of  Christian  believers.  There  are  many 
doctrinal  questions  on  which  I  am  not  disposed  to 
catechise  applicants  for  church  fellowship.  But  there 
is  one  point  on  which  I  am  always  anxious  to  secure 
the  plainest  evidence  and  confession,  that  Jesus  Christ 
rose  from  the  dead  and  is  God  over  all,  and  that  He 
is  entitled  to  the  same  honor  and  worship  with  the 
Father.  Take  away  the  God-man  and  Christianity 
crumbles  into  a  mass  of  hopeless  ruins.  And  yet,  this 
is  an  amazing  affirmation,  the  most  awful  blasphemy 
if  it  be  not  strictly  true,  and  one  which  no  man  should 
make  without  clear  knowledge  of  the  grounds  on 
which  it  rests.  Now,  we  affirm  it,  because  the  New 
Testament  plainly  teaches  it. 

But  how  did  the  writers  of  the  New  Testament 
reach  their  conviction?  Must  we  depend  simply  upon 
their  testimony,  or  can  we  examine  the  original  evi- 
dence by  whose  study  their  faith  was  produced  ?  Here 
it  is  instructive  to  discover  that  they  have  not  only 
registered  the  conclusion,  but  have  shown  us  how  they 
reached  it.  John  tells  us  how  he  and  others  became 
convinced  that  He  who  was  born  in  Bethlehem  and 
crucified  on  Calvary  was  none  other  than  the  Eternal 
and  Only  Son  of  God.     They  beheld  His  glory  "full 

121 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

of  grace  and  truth."  The  clause  is  interpretive.  The 
Divine  glory  in  Christ  was  revealed  in  the  fact  that 
He  was  full  of  grace  and  full  of  truth,  that  absolute 
veracity  and  absolute  unselfishness  constituted  the 
basic  and  dominant  qualities  of  His  character.  Their 
attention  was  fixed  upon  what  He  was,  and  not  pri- 
marily upon  what  He  said  or  did.  They  were  im- 
pressed by  His  miracles ;  they  were  more  impressed  by 
His  teachings ;  they  were  most  impressed  by  His 
personal  character,  by  His  singular  truthfulness  and 
self-forgetfulness.  Now,  this  moral  uniqueness  and 
pre-eminence  of  Christ  is  as  potent  to-day  as  it  ever 
was.  Public  thought  in  our  day  has  become  intolerant 
of  any  language  reflecting  in  the  slightest  degree  upon 
the  personal  integrity  and  purity  of  Christ.  The 
church  finds  many  severe  critics,  the  Bible  is  handled 
without  gloves  and  freely  discredited  in  part,  but  no 
man  who  values  his  reputation  for  honesty  ventures 
to  cast  reproach  upon  Christ.  The  public  would  turn 
their  backs  upon  such  a  man  as  they  would  hiss  any 
one  who  should  traduce  George  Washington.  And 
for  the  very  same  reason,  that  history  has  rendered 
its  verdict.  Theories  of  imposture,  of  enthusiasm,  of 
political  ambition,  have  had  their  day.  They  have  been 
discredited  and  discarded.  The  last  word  in  the  long 
debate  has  been  spoken,  and  there  is  none  bold  enough 
to  call  in  question  the  unblemished  personal  character 
and  the  unselfish  devotion  of  the  prophet  of  Nazareth. 
But  you  will  say,  granting  all  this,  how  does  this 
concession  conduct  to  the  startling  conclusion  that 
this  man  was  God  manifest  in  the  flesh?  By  a  very 
brief  and  direct  path.     If  Jesus  Christ  was  full  of  truth 

122 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

He  could  not  have  been  self-deceived,  and  He  could 
not  have  made  false  claims.  If  we  believe  in  Him,  we 
must  also  believe  Him.  And  if  He  was  full  of  grace, 
thoroughly  unselfish  in  His  temper,  He  cannot  be 
suspected  of  having  been  ambitious  to  secure  a  recog- 
nition to  which  He  was  not  entitled.  There  is  only 
one  way  of  evading  the  force  of  his  personal  testimony 
as  to  who  and  what  He  was,  without  impeaching  His 
personal  integrity,  and  that  is  by  discrediting  the 
gospels  by  maintaining  that  they  are  romances,  not 
histories;  that  the  words  of  Christ  therein  reported 
are  words  which  later  writers  have  attributed  to  Him, 
and  not  such  as  He  actually  uttered.  But  the  idea 
utterly  breaks  down  when  it  is  remembered  that  the 
gospels  were  written  under  the  full  blaze  of  a  genera- 
tion that  was  familiar  with  the  facts. 


The  Doubting  Apostle. 

Thomas  has  passed  into  Christian  history  as  the 
doubting  apostle.  His  scepticism  concerning  the 
resurrection  of  Christ  has  produced  and  perpetuated 
an  unfavorable  judgment  of  his  character.  We  know 
very  little  of  him,  but  there  are  three  brief  references 
to  him  in  the  fourth  gospel  which  show  him  to  have 
been  a  man  of  sincere  intentions,  of  strong  attach- 
ments, disposed  to  look  at  the  dark  side  of  things,  and 
extremely  slow  and  cautious  in  his  mental  processes. 
When  Jesus,  having  predicted  His  impending  death, 
answered  the  call  from  the  bereaved  household  at 
Bethany,  Thomas  said :  "Let  us  also  go,  that  we  die 

123 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

with  Him."  This  was  the  language  of  determination 
and  despondency.  When,  on  the  night  of  His  betrayal, 
and  after  the  institution  of  the  Holy  Supper,  our  Lord 
said  to  His  disciples,  ''Whither  I  go,  ye  know ;  and  the 
way  ye  know,"  Thomas  answered :  "Lord,  we  know 
not  whither  thou  goest,  and  how  can  we  know  the 
way?"  His  perplexity  was  profound.  He  could  un- 
derstand neither  Christ's  object  nor  His  method ; 
neither  what  He  had  in  mind,  nor  how  He  proposed  to 
secure  it.  And  when  not  only  death  came,  but  death 
by  crucifixion,  Thomas  was  completely  dazed.  It 
was  all  dark  to  him.  He  brooded  in  solitude.  He  kept 
away  from  his  former  associates.  He  paid  no  atten- 
tion to  the  reports  of  the  women.  The  testimony  of  the 
ten  he  dismissed  as  incredible.  What!  Had  not  the 
side  of  Christ's  body  been  pierced  by  the  soldier's 
spear,  water  and  blood  flowing  from  the  wound,  prov- 
ing beyond  all  possible  doubt  that  the  heart  had  been 
reached  by  the  deadly  thrust?  The  Master  was  dead, 
and  he,  for  one,  would  not  believe  that  He  had  risen 
unless  he  could  touch  the  nail-prints  and  lay  his  hand 
in  the  mortal  gash.  Bitterly  had  he  been  disappointed, 
and  he  would  not  permit  himself  to  be  deceived  again, 
and  cherish  a  wild  delusion. 


Christ's  Method  with  Thomas. 

Our  Lord's  treatment  of  Thomas  shows  that  He 
appreciated  his  honest  perplexity,  and  that  He  did  not 
regard  his  hesitation  as  wilful  and  wicked  obstinacy. 
There  was  an  honest  soul  and  an  ardent  heart  within 

124 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

this  man  whom  it  was  so  hard  to  convince.  Convinced 
he  was,  and  Augustine  rightly  interpreted  the  scene 
when  he  said :  "Thomas  doubted  in  order  that  we  may 
not  doubt;"  that  is,  his  prompt  and  joyful  assent  makes 
it  certain  that  the  resurrection  of  Christ  is  not  a  fancy, 
but  a  fact.  He  performed  a  most  valuable  service 
at  a  critical  time.  Had  he  been  quietly  ignored,  or  held 
up  to  reprobation  as  obstinate  and  discourteous,  we 
should  find  it  extremely  hard  to  accept  what  he  had 
refused  to  believe.  It  Is  a  stupendous  fact  which  we 
are  summoned  to  believe,  which  every  Easter  brings 
to  the  front,  which  every  Christian  Sabbath  com- 
memorates ;  and  it  is  well  for  us  to  review  the  historical 
evidence  upon  which  it  rests. 


The  Fact  of  the  Resurrection. 

Whatever  may  be  true  of  other  features  of  Christian- 
ity, the  primary  evidence  that  Christ  rose  from  the 
dead  must  be  similar  to  that  which  warrants  our  believ- 
ing In  the  voyage  of  the  Mayflower,  and  the  settlement 
of  the  Plymouth  Colony. 

Now,  the  first  thing  to  be  considered  Is  the  fact 
that  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ  is  not  a  recent 
invention.  It  can  be  traced  back  more  than  1800  years. 
It  lies  Hke  a  belt  of  light  across  many  centuries.  It 
survived  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  and  the  fall  of 
Rome.  It  ruled  through  all  the  ages  of  mediaeval  an- 
archy. It  was  carved  upon  the  tombs,  wrought  into 
creeds,  embodied  in  song,  chiseled  and  built  into  the 
cathedrals.    It  has  been  incessantly  challenged,  but  has 

125 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

refused  to  siicciinib.  It  has  been  the  faith  of  the  Greek, 
the  Roman,  the  Celt,  the  Goth,  the  Slav,  the  Saxon. 
There  is  something  wonderful  in  this  pertinacity  of 
conviction,  maintained  simply  by  an  appeal  to  evi- 
dences, in  the  face  of  the  fiercest  criticism  among  the 
most  advanced  races.  The  path  of  these  centuries 
is  crowded  with  the  ruins  of  empires,  of  ambitions, 
of  philosophies,  of  wierd  experiments,  of  fanciful  ad- 
ventures. But  with  every  Easter  the  great  church 
of  God,  merging  all  its  minor  differences  of  creed  and 
ritual,  rises  in  her  might  and  proclaims  with  joyful 
assurance  her  unshaken  faith  in  her  Risen  Lord.  Is 
it  all  a  dream?  Then,  why  has  it  not  long  since  been 
dissipated  and  discredited?  Can  you  point  to  a  single 
instance  where  delusion  has  not  speedily  collapsed 
under  exposure?  Who  cares  now  for  the  false  De- 
cretals? Who  believes  in  the  Maelstrom?  Who 
troubles  himself  about  witchcraft?  But  we  still  stand 
on  the  open  grave  with  uncovered  head  and  exultant 
heart.  Eliminate  physical  miracle  and  you  cannot 
get  rid  of  this  historical  miracle — this  deathless  vitality 
of  our  stupendous  confession. 

Remember,  too,  that  the  origin  of  this  faith  requires 
explanation.  It  is  not  enough  to  deny  it.  Possession 
is  nine  points  in  the  law,  and  though  a  hundred  men 
should  call  in  question  your  right  to  live  in  your  house, 
you  would  shut  the  door  upon  them,  the  burden  of 
proof.  They  must  invalidate  your  title,  and  the  evi- 
dence must  be  conclusive.  Christianity  is  in  posses- 
sion, and  he  who  denies  its  central  testimony  must 
show  how  and  by  whom  the  falsehood  was  originated. 
There  is  no  longer  any  doubt  that  from  the  very  first 

126 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

Christians  believed  that  Christ  had  risen  from  the 
dead,  and  that  this  was  the  prime  article  of  their  faith. 
How  came  they  to  believe  it?  Pliny's  letter  to  Trojan 
shows  conclusively  that  by  the  year  loo  the  Lord's  day 
was  widely  observed ;  songs  and  prayers  were  offered 
to  Christ  as  God,  and  the  communion  was  celebrated, 
while  the  pagan  temples  were  deserted;  while  the 
matter  was  serious  enough  to  lead  to  a  correspondence 
between  the  Governor  and  the  Emperor.  And  of  those 
whom  Pliny  had  examined,  some  had  been  Christians 
for  twenty  years.  Against  that  rock  every  mythical 
and  legendary  theory  has  been  shattered.  It  is  an 
unheard  of  thing.  Would  it  be  easy  to  create  such  a 
faith  to-day?  Would  you  believe  the  story  of  Abra- 
ham Lincoln's  resurrection?  And  can  you  imagine 
that  such  a  report  would  continue  to  be  believed  for  a 
single  generation?  But  the  fact  is  undeniable  that  the 
Christians  of  the  First  Century  did  believe  in  the  resur- 
rection of  Jesus,  maintaining  their  testimony  against 
all  the  world,  and  compelling,  at  least,  the  homage  of 
the  proudest  court  that  ever  ruled  Europe.  Nor  is 
this  all. 

We  are  on  confessedly  historical  ground  when  we 
pass  from  Pliny  to  Paul,  when  we  read  Galatians, 
Romans  and  Corinthians.  The  first  of  these  epistles 
was  written  in  the  year  52,  and  the  second  chapter 
contains  the  plain  statement  that  more  than  fourteen 
years  had  elapsed  since  the  author  had  become  a 
Christian  convert.  This  brings  us  to  the  year  38, 
within  half  a  dozen  years  of  Christ's  death.  Not  only 
are  these  epistles  full  of  declarations  that  Jesus  rose 
from  the  dead,  but  Paul  makes  that  fact  the  coqier 

127 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

stone  of  his  preaching,  and  shows  that  it  was  infalUbly 
attested  and  universally  believed.  You  know  Paul's 
lineage,  his  educational  advantage,  his  early  prom- 
inence, his  burning  zeal  in  persecuting  the  church. 
The  critics  confess  that  they  do  not  know  what  to 
make  of  him ;  that  his  conversion  is  incapable  of  **psy- 
chological  explanation."  It  is  incredible  that  he  should 
have  been  deluded  or  deliberately  given  credence  to 
what  he  knew  to  be  a  lie.  That  he  was  familiar  with 
all  the  facts,  had  carefully  examined  all  the  available 
evidence,  and  had  acted  under  the  impulse  of  an  irre- 
sistible conviction  of  its  truth,  is  plain  from  the  open- 
ing verses  of  the  fifteenth  chapter  of  First  Corinthians, 
The  man  bears  the  stamp  of  a  high  order  of  intelli- 
gence. His  character  is  beyond  reproach,  and  his 
public  ministry  is  the  embodiment  of  unwearied  activity 
and  of  unselfish  devotion.  It  will  be  hard  to  make  men 
believe  that  he  lived  and  died  the  victim  of  an  awful 
delusion. 


Vigilance  Indispensable  to  Moral  Safety. 

Vigilance  is  indispensable  to  moral  safety.  No 
doctrine  of  the  perseverance  of  the  saints,  no  theory 
that  regeneration  carries  with  it  the  infallible  certainty 
of  final  and  eternal  blessedness,  should  be  permitted 
to  blind  us  to  this  solemn  truth.  So  long  as  our 
mortal  life  endures,  and  for  aught  I  know,  forever, 
we  must  take  heed  to  our  steps ;  for  whatever  added 
security  the  future  may  bring,  it  can  never  encourage 
inattention   and   carelessness.     You  know   the   diflfer- 

128 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

ence  between  walking  in  the  open  light  of  day  and 
in  the  midnight  gloom,  or  with  bandaged  eyes.  The 
blind  are  easily  tripped.  The  darkness  bewilders  you. 
And  what  eyes  and  light  are  to  the  feet,  vigilance  is  to 
moral  safety.  But  whom,  or  what,  shall  I  watch? 
There  was  only  one  antagonist  whom  Paul  feared, 
and  upon  whom  he  fixed  his  vigilant  eye — himself. 
He  was  afraid  of  nothing  else.  He  was  not  afraid  of 
God,  nor  of  the  devil,  nor  of  men.  He  felt  that  the 
sources  of  moral  danger  were  in  himself,  not  outside 
of  him ;  and  the  mastery  of  that  lesson  is  of  the  utmost 
importance.  Toward  God,  the  only  rational  attitude 
is  that  of  unqualified  and  habitual  confidence.  No 
shadow  of  doubt  rests  upon  the  unspeakable  love  of 
Christ.  Paul's  deepest  persuasion  was  that  not  even 
"any  other  creature"  or  "creation"  could  separate  him 
from  the  love  of  God.  This  is  the  bedrock  of  truth. 
Upon  this  the  pillars  of  eternal  government  rest.  No 
tremor  comes  to  this  foundation.  You  need  not  watch 
God.  Trust  Him.  He  seeks  only  your  good,  and 
the  srood  of  all  men.  That  assurance  makes  luminous 
and  radiant  every  page  of  the  Bible;  and  I  am  free 
to  say  that  so  clearly  fibered  upon  my  mental  life  is 
this  conviction,  that  if  you  could  persuade  me  that  the 
Scriptures  limit  this  infinite  love  for  men  by  a  decree 
of  unconditional  election,  I  would  throw  my  Bible 
into  the  sea.  But  God  loves  the  world,  and  that 
weaves  a  crown  of  light  around  every  infant  brow. 
God  is  to  be  fearlessly  and  joyfully  trusted.  I  have 
little  interest  in  the  debate  about  a  continued  proba- 
tion, because  I  am  sure  that  the  Father  of  all  souls 
will  deal  gently  and  impartially  with   each.     God  is 

129 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

the  object  of  trust,  not  of  vigilance.  Shall  we  watch 
the  devil?  Some  tell  us  that  there  is  no  such  being; 
that  the  word  Satan  does  not  represent  a  personal  evil 
spirit,  but  is  the  personification  of  evil.  Paul  believed 
in  a  personal  devil,  and  so  do  I.  But  the  time  spent 
in  watching  the  devil  is  worse  than  wasted.  The  best 
thing  to  do  is  to  ignore  him;  for  the  pierced  hand  of 
Christ  has  broken  the  scepter  of  Satanic  power,  and 
hurled  the  prince  of  darkness  from  his  throne. 

Nor  are  our  fellowmen  the  proper  subjects  of  that 
vigilance  which  is  enjoined.  We  are  too  much  given, 
I  fear,  to  watching  our  neighbors,  for  purposes  either 
of  criticism  or  of  imitation.  We  judge  men  by  what 
appears  upon  the  surface,  and  nothing  is  easier  than 
the  cultivation  of  a  misanthropic  temper.  Our  vigil- 
ance makes  us  suspicious,  until  we  are  in  danger  of 
regarding  all  men  as  rogues  and  unworthy  of  gen- 
erous confidence.  But  how  scanty  is  our  knowledge 
of  man  at  the  best.  Did  we  but  understand  their  in- 
tentions, their  ungrained  infirmities,  the  terrific  fight 
which  they  have  with  their  surroundings,  the  bur- 
dens which  crush  and  embitter  them,  we  would  often 
pity  and  pray  where  we  are  tempted  to  condemn  and 
curse.  It  is  better  and  much  more  reasonable  to  sus- 
pend judgment,  to  be  slow  to  anger,  and  reserved  in 
speech,  to  think  as  well  of  our  neighbors  as  we  can, 
counting  all  to  be  for  us  who  are  not  openly  against 
us.  And  surely  the  vigilance  which  makes  the  judg- 
ment of  another  the  rule  of  conduct  is  the  badge  of 
moral  slavery  and  the  surrender  of  moral  independ- 
ence. In  a  recent  debate  on  hypnotism,  which  is  only 
a  new  name  for  mesmerism,  there  was  universal  agree- 

130 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

ment  that  they  who  permitted  themselves  to  be  ex- 
perimented upon  suffered  serious  and  certain  injury, 
physical  and  mental,  resulting  in  degeneracy  of  nerv- 
ous tissue  and  in  the  loss  of  will  power.  Thirty  years 
ago,  in  my  early  college  days,  I  took  that  ground 
among  my  classmates,  and  was  laughed  at.  But  I 
held  then,  and  I  hold  now,  that  the  man  who  surren- 
ders himself,  body  and  soul,  to  another's  will,  abdi- 
cates his  manhood,  and  commits  moral  suicide.  God 
alone  has  the  right  to  rule  you,  and  to  prescribe  the 
rule  of  your  conduct.  Your  safety  lies  in  exclusive 
loyalty  to  Him,  in  seeking  His  guidance,  and  His 
alone.  When  a  great  and  grave  crisis  confronts  you, 
it  is  best  to  court  solitude.  Abraham  did  this  when 
he  was  commanded  to  leave  Chaldea,  and  again  when 
he  was  ordered  to  sacrifice  Isaac.  Moses  did  this  when 
he  spent  forty  days  on  Mount  Sinai.  Our  Lord  did 
this  when  he  retired  into  the  wilderness.  Paul  did 
this  when  he  sought  refuge  in  Arabia.  Live  face  to 
face  with  your  own  conscience  in  the  light  of  God. 
It  is  rarely  that  a  thoroughly  honest  man  will  be 
mistaken  in  his  moral  perceptions  and  decisions,  and 
I  would  give  more  for  an  hour's  sincere  and  earnest 
cross-questioning  of  self  than  for  a  year  of  parlia- 
mentary debate.  And  so  I  come  back  to  this,  that 
the  only  proper  object  of  vigilance  is  yourself.  There 
is  nothing  else  to  be  afraid  of.  The  sources  of  moral 
danger  are  in  you,  not  outside  of  you. 


Christian  Unity. 
At  the  services  for  the  installation  of  the  Rev.  James 
M.   Farrar,   D.D.,   as   pastor   of   the   First   Reformed 
Church   in   Brooklyn,   the   Rev.    A.   J.    F.    Behrends, 

131 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

D.D.,  preached  the  sermon  (Thursday  evening,  Sep- 
tember 26,  1890),  his  text  being  Ephesians  iii :  15  and 
16.     Here  is  a  portion  of  the  discourse: 

I  know  not  how  it  may  be  with  others,  but  this 
I  do  know,  that  with  myself,  as  the  years  pass,  such 
utterances  as  this  in  the  Bible,  which  outline  the 
duties  of  the  followers  of  Christ,  impress  me  more 
and  more  powerfully  and  pathetically.  Perhaps  the 
reason  of  this  is  to  be  found  in  my  own  religious 
history,  which  was  peculiar.  My  father  was  a  German 
and  a  minister  of  the  Lutheran  Church.  My  mother 
had  the  purest  of  Dutch  blood  in  her  veins,  and  I 
myself  was  born  in  Holland.  I  was  baptized  at  the 
hands  of  a  Dutch  minister,  and  was  carefully  trained 
in  the  Heidelberg  catechism.  As  was  the  custom  in 
the  Lutheran  Church,  at  14  years  of  age  I  was  con- 
firmed. However,  I  was  a  Christian  only  in  mental 
conviction.  My  head  was  in  alliance  with  the  teach- 
ings of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  but  my  heart  had  not 
been  touched.  It  was  thirty  years  ago,  but  I  remem- 
ber distinctly  the  conversation  that  occurred  between 
my  father  and  myself  relative  to  my  entering  the 
ministry.  My  father  desired  that  I  should  become 
a  minister  of  the  gospel,  even  as  he  was  himself,  and 
he  asked  me  to  acquaint  him  with  my  decision  to 
study  for  that  profession  as  early  as  I  could.  After 
weeks  of  thoughtful  meditation,  I  cannot  say  prayer- 
ful, I  told  him  that  I  had  to  decline  to  accede  to  his 
wishes.  On  being  asked  why,  I  remember  that  I 
replied  that  it  was  my  conviction  that  an  aspirant  for 
the  ministry  should  be  quite  sure  that  the  spirit  of 
God  calls  him  to  devote  himself  specially  to  that  pur- 

132 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

pose.      He    made    no   answer,    nor    even    ever    again 
reverted  to  the  subject. 

When  I  left  home  and  was  thrown  upon  my  own 
resources  I  had  no  love  in  my  heart  for  my  God, 
though  I  scrupulously  kept  the  Sabbath,  though  I 
avoided  and  resisted  the  temptations  that  beset  youth 
away  from  the  restraints  of  home,  and  though  I  never 
ceased  to  bend  my  knee  before  my  bed,  and  say  the 
prayer  that  my  then  already  sainted  mother  had  taught 
me.  It  was  a  Methodist  circuit  rider,  in  one  of  the 
Southern  States,  who  made  me  feel  broken,  and  when 
in  consequence  the  question  of  associating  myself  with 
some  church  came  up,  I  drifted  from  the  Lutheran, 
in  which  I  was  confirmed,  and  the  Dutch,  in  which  I 
was  baptized,  into  the  Baptist.  About  fifteen  years 
ago,  without  even  endeavoring  to  outline  the  intellectual 
struggle  it  cost  me,  I  drifted  into  the  fellowship  of  the 
Congregational  Church.  Now  I  hardly  know  where 
I  belong,  and  do  not  know  that  I  care.  I  have  found 
the  truth  in  all  these  churches.  I  have  found  the  love 
of  the  Master  in  them  all,  and  hearty  consecration  to 
His  work.  Perhaps,  as  I  have  already  intimated,  it 
is  because  of  this  peculiar  religious  history  of  mine, 
that  such  passages  concerning  unity  among  Chris- 
tians make  such  an  impression  on  me.  The  apostle's 
frequent  exhortations  to  unity  betray  the  fact  that 
the  church  was  not  then  one  and  undivided,  where- 
fore the  tendency  to  religious  division  is  not  of  modern 
origin.  The  traces  of  that  kind  of  division,  indeed, 
are  on  every  page  of  history.  There  are  a  good  many 
to  whom  doctrinal  divisions  are  matters  of  serious 
regret  or  criticism.     If  they  do  not  go  so   far  they 

^33 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

do  insist  that  the  church  of  to-day  has  sadly  aposta- 
tized from  the  church  of  the  first  century.  These 
divisions  do  not  discredit  the  Christianity  of  the  pres- 
ent time,  for  they  existed  in  the  beginning.  They  do 
not,  therefore,  prove  an  apostasy.  There  were  divi- 
sions in  it  because  the  church  was  organized  around  a 
person,  and  not  built  upon  a  creed,  because  the  heart 
of  a  Christian  religion  is  personal  fealty  to  a  Lord 
and  Master,  and  not  to  the  teachings  of  any  school, 
however  august  it  may  be,  whether  Wesleyan  or 
Augustinian  or  else.  Diversity  of  intellectual  appre- 
hension is  inevitable  and  never  could  be  otherwise. 
The  subject,  moreover,  is  too  great  for  us,  and  there 
will  be  diversities  in  interpreting  it  just  as  long  as 
men  are  finite,  just  as  long  as  man  is  controlled  by 
his  mental  apprehension  and  not  by  his  emotional. 
Moreover,  the  subject  is  too  great  and  profound.  It 
is  our  duty  to  cultivate  the  temper  of  mutual  toler- 
ance. It  need  not  disturb  the  ministry.  I  would  not 
be  happy  in  a  church  where  everything  I  said  was 
believed.  Rather  would  I  infinitely  prefer  that  my  every 
utterance  were  tested  by  the  Word  of  God.  If  the 
apostles  were  not  discouraged  by  earnest  debate  there 
are  no  reasons  why  we  should  be  discouraged.  We  are 
one  in  the  Master  whom  we  serve.  It  is  only  ritual 
questions  which  divide  us,  questions  about  whether 
or  no  we  shall  have  bishops  or  presbyteries,  or  whether 
we  shall  make  the  church  rule  itself  without  any 
power  of  appeal  anywhere:  whether  we  shall  baptize 
children,  or  make  faith  precede  baptism.  They  are 
merely  questions  of  government,  and  I  am  ashamed 
that  they  should  cause  such  a  din  of  controversy.     It 

134 


THE    CHRIST    OP   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

is  the  spirit  of  God  that  is  necessary.  God  looketh 
upon  the  heart.  These  things  do  not  differentiate  us 
in  His  sight.  It  is  a  lesson  which  every  minister 
needs  not  only  to  have,  but  to  exercise  himself  in 
continually,  that  the  doctrine  of  the  universal  priest- 
hood of  believers  is  an  actual  and  mighty  fact ;  there- 
fore they  should  never  attempt  to  lord  it,  but  to  en- 
deavor to  do  good.  To  sit  at  the  feet  of  Christ  is 
a  minister's  safety.  To  sit  at  the  feet  of  Christ  is  a 
church's  hope. 

The  Philosophy  of  Preaching. 

Logically,  future  probation  is  the  necessary  conclu- 
sion of  the  New  England  Calvinistic  theology;  and  a 
rejection  of  the  conclusion  involves  a  radical  recon- 
struction of  the  Calvinistic  system.  That  reconstruc- 
tion is  going  on,  and  it  will,  before  long,  give  us  a 
different  theory  of  missions  from  that  which  was 
current  one  hundred  years  ago. 

For  myself,  as  you  well  know,  I  do  not  plead  for 
missions  at  home  or  abroad,  on  the  ground  of  getting 
men  into  heaven,  or  keeping  them  out  of  hell.  Be 
my  philosophy  of  preaching  right  or  wrong,  it  is  my 
own,  wrought  out  in  anguish  of  spirit  through  a 
ministry  of  more  than. twenty-five  years  (October  19, 
1890).  I  do  not  regard  it  as  my  vocation  to  anticipate 
the  retributive  judgment  of  God,  nor  to  lay  a  founda- 
tion for  its  exercise.  I  believe  the  preacher's  calling 
to  be  a  special  and  a  limited  one — to  bring  men  to 
Christ  here  and  now — to  deal  with  the  living,  not  with 
the  dead — to  make  a  conquest  of  the  earth  for  right- 
eousness.    It  is  this  globe  which  we  are  to  conquer 

135 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

until  the  habitations  of  cruelty  shall  be  made  radiant 
in  the  purity  and  the  peace  of  Jesus  Christ.  That  is 
our  task,  our  great  and  only  one.  From  this  point 
of  view  all  speculations  about  the  intermediate  state 
and  continued  probation  are  out  of  place  and  super- 
fluous. I  believe  in  heaven  and  hell,  though  I  do  not  in 
any  doctrine  of  election  which  limits  the  universal 
and  impartial  and  infinite  love  of  God  for  all  men.  T 
believe  that  the  Bible  teaches  that  Christ  died  for 
all  men,  and  that  all  men,  without  exception,  are 
under  grace,  and  they  are  under  law.  There  my  Bible 
leaves  the  matter,  and  there  I  rest.  He  who  shall 
judge  all  men  at  the  last  day  is  He  who  died  for  them 
on  the  cross ;  and  His  decision,  I  am  sure,  will  be 
tender  and  true,  breaking  no  bruised  reed,  quenching 
no  smoking  flax.  That  is  His  eternal,  uncommuni- 
cated  secret,  and  I  leave  it  with  Him.  Our  task  is 
more  simple  and  direct,  to  make  this  present  world 
what  it  ought  to  be,  what  it  may  be  made  by  the  obe- 
dience of  Christ,  what  it  must  and  will  become  before 
the  great  white  throne  casts  its  blinding  splendors 
over  heaven  and  earth. 


The  Law  of  Christian  Progress. 
Progress  always  means  more  than  advance.  It  is 
advance  joined  with  living  continuity.  As  the  roots 
of  a  plant  are  indispensable  to  its  existence,  so  is  our 
connection  with  the  past  necessary  to  our  spiritual 
existence  and  growth.  No  Christian  can  cut  loose 
from  the  Holy  Catholic  Church.  We  ought  to  rejoice 
in  communing  with  the  saints.     You  know  that  this 

136 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

is  an  age  of  unsettlement  everywhere.  Men  tell  us 
all  is  wrong,  and  that  the  only  hope  is  to  pull  down 
the  existing  structure  of  society.  This,  too,  they  say, 
is  necessary  to  the  church.  Sweeping  destruction  is 
their  aim.  Chaos  would  be  the  result.  We  are  not 
anarchists,  either  in  political  economy  or  in  theology. 
We  believe  in  slow  progress  in  the  past,  and  so  in  the 
future.  These  are  not  things  to  be  scorned  or  scoffed 
at.  We  believe  that  there  was  wisdom  in  men  of 
the  past.  I  am  not  one  who  is  ashamed  to  stick  to  the 
ancient  landmarks,  the  liturgy  and  the  creed,  which 
the  church  has  used.  They  have  served  as  a  bridge 
for  millions  in  the  past,  and  for  enormous  burdens; 
certainly  they  will  bear  my  weight.  The  love  of 
Christ  and  the  religion  of  the  Bible  are  not  of  recent 
discovery.  They  are  not  untried.  They  have  served 
all  the  saints.  Enoch,  EHjah,  Luther,  and  Calvin, 
found  their  safety  in  them.  Let  us  hold  fast  to  that 
treasure,  and  see  to  it  that  no  one  can  ever  take  them 
from  us.  Let  not  a  spirit  of  intellectual  and  spiritual 
isolation  prevail,  but  let  there  be  full  concord  and 
harmony  in  your  work.  The  Scriptures  are  never 
rightly  understood  until  they  transform  us.  The  re- 
sults are  not  specific,  but  vital  and  practical.  They 
constrain,  and  at  the  same  time  impel  us  ever  onward. 
We  must  be  filled  with  the  fullness  of  God's  love. 

Now,  we  never  can  equal  God  in  everything.  Let 
us  not,  then,  sink  back,  and  in  the  spirit  of  Herbert 
Spencer  say  that  the  ultimate  ground  can  never  be 
found  out.  Let  us  make  the  attempt  at  least.  God 
surpasses  us,  and  ever  will  in  eternity,  in  omniscience, 
omnipresence,    omnipotence,    and    infinity;    but    then 

137 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

there  is  a  possibility  of  sharing  some  of  the  commun- 
ing- attributes  of  God.  We  can  be  like  Him  in 
veracity,  patience,  peace,  righteousness  and  compas- 
sion. We  can  be  like  Him  in  holiness,  in  the  white 
light  of  His  moral  excellence.  We  can  be  filled  with 
the  moral  excellence  of  God.  We  can  be  like  Him  in 
righteousness  and  peace.  We  can  be  like  Him  in 
justice,  as  the  dewdrop  that  hangs  on  the  blade  of  grass 
is  like  the  boundless  ocean  whence  it  was  distilled. 
Christian  excellence  is  worth  nothing  unless  it  results 
in  crystallization  of  character.  No  ecstasy  of  religion 
counts  for  anything  unless  in  crystallization  of  char- 
acter, in  greater  purity,  devotion  to  duty,  truth,  and 
hatred  of  sin.  Love  of  Christ  is  quickened  in  us, 
and  makes  us  more  and  more  like  Him.  This  is  the 
great  work  of  the  church.  The  church  accomplishes 
this  result,  not  so  much  by  writing  books  and  planting 
institutions  as  by  rearing  holy  men  and  women.  No 
sceptic  can  ever  upset  this  work. 


The  Survival  of  Christianity. 
There  is  nothing  new  in  the  charge  that  Christianity 
is  a  fable.  From  Peter's  day  down  to  our  own  the 
challenge  is  the  same.  The  main  attack  is  always 
upon  the  historical  element  in  Christianity.  Before 
any  gospels  had  been  written,  the  original  witnesses 
were  defamed  and  discredited.  Now  that  they  are 
gone,  the  written  gospels  are  thrown  into  the  crucible, 
and  their  testimony  belittled.  In  one  respect  our  task 
is  a  much  harder  one  than  that  of  the  first  Christians. 
A  great  gulf  of  more  than  eighteen  hundred  years 
separates  us  from  the  facts.     Numerous  legends  and 

138 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

forged  documents,  apochryphal  gospels,  and  unscru- 
pulous interpolations  add  to  our  perplexity.  It  is 
not  an  easy  thing  to  cut  your  way  through  these  tan- 
gled thickets,  clearing  a  path  to  the  manger  and  the 
cross,  and  the  empty  grave.  But  it  has  been  done, 
and  the  truth  of  the  Christian  message  was  never  so 
clearly  and  abundantly  established  as  it  is  to-day.  Far 
removed  as  we  are  from  the  original  facts  the  present 
situation  has  its  compensating  advantages. 

Christianity  has  held  its  ground.  It  has  not  proved 
to  be  a  nine  days'  wonder:  a  momentary  wave  of  ex- 
citement, such  as  from  time  to  time  appears  in  savage 
tribes  and  civilized  communities.  Its  history  has  been 
very  different  from  that  of  the  witchcraft  delusion 
in  New  England,  or  that  of  the  crusades  in  mediaeval 
Europe.  It  entered  the  old  world  to  stay;  it  domi- 
nates the  Western  Continent,  and  it  is  pushing  its 
picket  lines  into  all  lands.  Whatever  prestige  belongs 
to  endurance  belongs  to  the  Christian  faith.  Driven 
out  of  Palestine,  it  seized  Asia  Minor  and  Northern 
Africa,  making  Antioch  and  Ephesus  and  Alexandria 
illustrations;  driven  out  thence  by  the  armies  of  Ma- 
homet, it  seized  and  fused  the  Latin  and  Germanic 
races,  making  them  the  leaders  of  the  world's  civil- 
ization. Repudiated  by  the  people  among  whom  it 
first  appeared,  it  found  a  welcome  among  men  who 
had  been  very  differently  trained,  who  possessed  an 
elaborate  mythology  and  imposing  ritual,  but  who 
surrendered  their  gods  and  their  altars  to  faith  in  the 
crucified.  If  Christianity  be  a  delusion,  it  is  a  very 
remarkable  one  by  its  long  continuance.  Possession  is 
nine  points  in  the  law,  and  the  Gospel  is  in  possession. 

139 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

It  is  conceivable  that  through  all  these  centuries  the 
peoples  who  have  planted  schools,  created  science,  art 
and  literature;  who  have  been  inventors  and  discov- 
erers; who  have  fought  for  liberty  and  secured  inde- 
pendence from  ecclesiastical  dictation,  who  have  en- 
joyed free  speech  and  a  free  press,  have  been  deceived, 
but  the  supposition  is  an  extremely  violent  one.  De- 
lusions do  not  have  so  long  a  run  among  men  who 
are  critical  in  temper,  and  who  are  left  free  in  their 
studies.  Christianity  is  too  old  to  be  dismissed  with 
a  sneer;  the  presumption  is  in  its  favor,  even  on  the 
Darwinian  theory  that  in  the  struggle  for  existence 
only  the  fittest  survive.     Christianity  survives. 

The  Christian  conception  of  God,  as  the  eternal, 
self-conscious  spirit,  infinite  in  power,  wisdom,  truth, 
holiness  and  goodness,  is  absolutely  imperious  to  hos- 
tile criticism.  Its  conception  of  man  is  no  less  lofty, 
as  bearing  the  image  of  God,  and  capable  of  eternal 
and  blessed  fellowship  with  Him.  No  one  would 
think  of  reversing  or  modifying  any  one  of  the  pre- 
cepts of  Christianity.  They  constitute  a  perfect  rule 
of  life,  and  no  one  would  regard  universal  obedience 
to  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  as  anything  but  an  un- 
qualified blessing.  This  fact  is  strong  presumptive 
evidence  that  Christianity  is  true  in  its  historical  con- 
tents, for  pure  and  elevated  doctrines  are  not  likely  to 
proceed  from  men  who  are  engaged  in  concocting 
fables  and  in  spreading  delusions.  The  lie  is  sure 
to  stamp  itself  into  all  their  words.  Where  the  body 
of  doctrine  is  beyond  all  possible  impeachment,  the 
presumption  is  that  there  has  been  no  tampering  with 
the  facts. 

T40 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

Christianity  has  not  been  a  dead  or  a  speculative 
religion.  It  has  abounded  in  good  works.  It  has 
never  been  indifferent  to  human  weal.  It  has  guarded 
the  cradle,  honored  woman,  defended  the  home,  cared 
for  the  sick,  liberated  the  slave,  abounded  in  provi- 
sions for  the  poor,  the  unfortunate  and  the  vicious. 
It  is  determined  to  crowd  into  every  place.  It  is  not 
baffled  by  apparent  failures.  It  has  a  deathless  love 
for  men,  and  refuses  to  abandon  them.  It  is  pre- 
eminently a  religion  of  personal  loyalty  to  Jesus  Christ, 
its  founder,  who  is  to  be  loved,  obeyed  and  wor- 
shipped. No  other  religion  has  ventured  thus  to 
identify  itself  with  its  founder.  We  have  not  believed 
cunningly  devised  fables.  The  old  faith  comes  back 
out  of  the  fiery  furnace,  a  faith  which  every  one  of  us 
has  felt  ought  to  be  true,  even  when  our  doubts  have 
been  most  painful.  And  it  is  true,  if  there  be  any 
truth  in  heaven,  or  on  earth,  or  in  recorded  history ; 
and  the  truth  is  this,  that  Jesus  Christ  came  to  seek 
and  to  save  the  lost,  to  preach  the  forgiveness  of  sins 
in  His  name,  and  to  open  for  us  the  kingdom  of 
heaven. 


Paraphrase  of  Romans  111:21-26. 

Such,  then,  being  the  case,  that  under  the  law  of 
holiness  all  men  are  hopelessly  guilty,  enslaved,  and 
condemned,  God's  way  of  delivering  men  from  this 
deplorable  condition  is  now  made  known,  though  from 
the  very  first  clear  intimations  have  been  given  of  it 
by  the  law  itself  and  by  the  prophets,  namely,  by  faith 

141 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

in  Jesus  Christ;  a  boon  which  is  offered  to  Jew  and 
Gentile  alike,  since  there  is  no  difference,  for  all  men 
are  sinners,  and  are  lacking  in  what  God  prizes  and 
approves. 

We  are  therefore  to  be  justified,  if  at  all,  regarded 
and  treated  as  holy;  provision  is  made  for  our  deliv- 
erance from  sin,  we  can  be  forgiven,  renewed  and 
made  perfect  in  holiness,  freely,  not  as  something,  to 
which  we  can  lay  claim  by  purely  personal  merit.  We 
are  beggars  and  bankrupts,  hopelessly  condemned  by 
the  h.w  of  God  at  the  bar  of  our  own  consciences. 
Our  only  hope  is  in  executive  clemency  and  inter- 
position. We  are  utterly  dependent  upon  grace,  upon 
the  voluntary,  undeserved,  self-moved  compassion  of 
God.  That  compassion  has  taken  form  in  the  re- 
deeming act  of  Christ  Jesus,  which  redeeming  act 
consisted  in  our  Lord's  sacrifice  of  Himself  unto  death, 
the  power  of  which  we  appropriate  by  simple  faith; 
which  redeeming  act  God  had  in  mind  or  purposed 
from  all  eternity  as  a  means  of  giving  force  to  His 
redeeming  mercy  (propitiation).  That  which  has 
taken  place  in  time  was  freely  determined  from  ever- 
lasting. But  God's  eternal  way  of  dealing  with  men, 
and  saving  them  from  sin,  has  now  been  shown  in  act, 
it  has  been  clearly  and  unanswerably  made  manifest. 
In  the  light  of  that  act,  giving  force  to  God's  redeem- 
ing mercy,  we  can  now  understand  the  riddle  of  God's 
past  treatment  of  a  wicked  world,  when  His  forbear- 
ance had  the  appearance  of  indifference  to  the  sins 
of  men;  and  in  the  light  of  this  act  it  is  also  clearly 
seen  that  in  saving  him  who  believes  in  Jesus,  God  is 
dealing  righteously. 

142 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

Thanksgiving  Observance. 

How  shall  we  keep  our  Thanksgiving?  (1890)  It 
is  not  a  day  of  gluttony.  It  were  better  to  remember 
the  hungry  and  the  naked  than  to  stupefy  ourselves 
at  our  overloaded  tables.  The  French  revolution  was 
precipitated  by  a  royal  feast  while  thousands  were 
clamoring  for  bread  to  keep  them  from  starving.  Our 
land  'is  one  of  unparalleled  abundance.  Our  plenty  is 
such  that  we  waste  more  than  we  use.  Let  us  eat 
the  fat  and  drink  the  sweet;  but  let  us  not  forget  the 
parable  of  the  Rich  man  and  Lazarus.  When  our 
hearts  grow  heedless  of  the  poor,  who  are  always  with 
us,  the  curse  of  God  is  not  far  away.  Let  us  give  at 
least  a  portion  to  those  less  fortunate  than  we  are,  and 
our  own  bread  will  be  the  sweeter  for  our  charity. 
Charity!  I  am  almost  sick  of  hearing  the  word.  I 
resent  the  beggarly  meaning  with  which  it  is  invested, 
the  condescending  air  with  which  we  dole  out  our 
alms.  Would  you  call  it  charity  if  it  were  your  child 
which  needed  your  help?  And  are  not  all  men  our 
kin,  or  is  universal  brotherhood  only  a  phrase  to  be 
played  with?  I  do  not  forget  that  there  must  be 
righteousness  in  our  benevolence.  We  are  to  love 
our  neighbors  as  we  love  ourselves.  And  if  we  will 
eat  only  the  bread  of  our  own  earnings  it  is  right  and 
proper  that  we  should  compel  all  others  to  honor 
that  law.  I  have  no  sympathy  for  that  modern  notion 
that  it  is  the  business  of  some  to  take  care  of  others. 
That  is  only  another  way  of  saying,  that  some  men 
were  born  to  rule  and  others  to  be  dependents.  That 
degrades  manhood,  and  manhood  is  what  the  world 
needs.     The  law  is  a  wholesome  one,  that  if  a  man 

143 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

will  not  work  neither  shall  he  eat;  and  that  he  who  is 
lazy,  or  who  spends  his  earnings  for  drink,  should 
be  left  in  his  rags  to  suffer  his  hunger,  that  he  may 
be  driven  out  of  his  madness,  as  was  the  Prodigal 
Son.  But  all  this  should  not  blind  us  to  the  fact  that 
there  are  worthy  poor,  and  that  even  when  men  sink 
down  into  the  gutter  they  are  not  beyond  rescue.  It 
were  better  for  us  not  to  have  Thanksgiving  days  than 
to  make  them  seasons  of  selfish  personal  congratula- 
tion and  indulgence.  They  ought  to  be  national  in 
their  outlook,  and  when  they  are  such  our  sympathies 
will  have  the  widest  scope  and  the  most  generous  ex- 
pression, and  they  will  become  mighty  advocators  in 
fraternal  helpfulness. 

As  the  day  lifts  us  out  of  our  personal  environment 
to  rejoice  before  the  Lord  in  a  common  heritage,  so  it 
summons  us  to  lay  aside  all  partisanship  and  section- 
alism. This  day  is  sacred  to  American  patriotism, 
without  which  no  party  is  entitled  to  a  hearing,  and 
which  all  parties  are  forward  to  profess.  We  rally 
under  the  Stars  and  Stripes,  one  and  indivisible 
through  all  the  fierce  conflict  of  opinion,  and  through 
every  form  of  political  revolution.  Thorough  discus- 
sion is  the  safety  of  free  institutions,  and  frequent 
changes  of  political  responsibility,  on  the  whole,  help 
the  cause  of  good  government. 

'K  'l^  'J*  'T* 

You  may  be  selfish  in  your  patriotism,  but  unselfish- 
ness may  make  your  love  for  the  Stars  and  Stripes 
only  deeper  and  more  intense.  For  new  as  the  word 
solidarity  may  l)e,  the  thing  represented  by  it  is  as  old 
as  the  race  of  man.     Whether  we  purpose  it  or  not, 

144 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

whether  we  Hke  it  or  not,  we  are  helpers  one  of  an- 
other. I  am  not  a  patriot  merely  because  the  land  of 
my  adoption  is  the  freest  under  the  sun,  but  because 
this  seed  of  freedom  is  destined  to  become  the  bread 
of  a  hungry  world.  I  know  that  we  are  told  that  this 
is  an  age  of  discontent,  and  men  are  restless  and  un- 
easy, and  that  these  things  are  ominous  mutterings 
of  impending  earthquakes.  I  heard  it  once  said  that 
the  most  contented  people  on  the  earth  are  the  Es- 
quimaux of  Greenland,  who  are  dwarfed  in  body,  eat 
blubber  and  live  in  ice  huts.  So  are  the  people  of 
Greenwood  Cemetery  contented,  but  there  is  no  reason 
for  making  the  whole  world  a  graveyard.  For  myself, 
I  love  a  restless  age,  for  motion  is  the  evidence  of  life. 
The  seed  is  restless  in  its  play.  The  boy  looks  with 
hungry  eyes  into  the  future.  As  the  world  is  to-day. 
I  do  not  want  to  see  it  contented.  I  want  to  see  it 
seething  and  boiling,  until  all  iniquities  and  wicked 
irregularities  shall  be  swept  away,  and  righteousness 
shall  be  enthroned.  It  is  a  noble  gospel  which  this 
nation  is  preaching.  It  is  a  sublime  experiment  which 
we  have  undertaken,  and  its  success  cannot  fail  to  be 
a  blessing  to  all  nations.  Only  let  us  not  forget  the 
earnest  reminder  which  Moses  introduced  into  his 
statute  appointing  the  feast  of  tabernacles:  (Deut. 
xvi:i2)  ''Observe  and  do  these  statutes."  Observe 
them.  Keep  your  eyes  open.  Indifference  is  the 
bane  of  a  free  people,  the  unguarded  gate  through 
which  despotism  creeps  in;  and  the  camel's  head  once 
in  the  tent,  the  owner  will  be  driven  out.  Observe  then, 
and  do!  Rectitude  is  our  impervious  armor.  Right- 
eousness alone  exalts  a  nation. 

145 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

Meaning  of  the  Divinely  Inspired  Bible. 

What  do  we  mean  when  we  say  that  the  Bible  is 
divinely  inspired? 

We  mean  that  the  writings  so  designated  are  divine- 
ly authoritative,  binding  upon  us  as  an  infallible  rule 
of  faith  and  practice.  It  does  not  follow  that  a  man 
is  inspired  because  he  is  a  true  man ;  it  does  not  follow 
that  a  book  is  inspired  because  the  author  has  been 
careful  to  give  us  a  true  account  of  what  he  believes. 
No  liar  can  be  inspired.  No  forgery  can  have  in  it  the 
breath  of  God.  But  the  opposite  of  these  statements 
cannot  be  maintained.  Inspiration  is  not  the  universal 
attribute  of  true  and  truthful  man,  nor  a  necessary 
quality  of  the  truth-telling  books.  True  men  have 
been  false  guides,  as  Coleridge  said  long  ago :  "I  be- 
lieve a  Unitarian  may  be  a  Christian,  but  I  am  sure 
that  Unitarianism  is  not  Christianity."  And  bad  men 
have  written  books  which  were  a  true  expression  of 
their  thoughts ;  as  when  Rosseau  wrote  his  Confessions, 
and  Thomas  Paine,  the  Age  of  Reason;  but  no  one 
regards  these  books  as  inspired.  When  we  say  that 
the  Bible  is  inspired,  we  mean  something  more  than 
that  its  books  were  written  by  honest  men,  who  have 
told  us  what  they  believed.  We  mean  that  the  breath 
of  God  pervades  these  writings;  that  through  them 
the  infallible  authority  of  God  is  conveyed  to  us;  that 
the  message  which  these  men  delivered  was  given 
them  of  God;  that  they  were  the  conscious  subjects 
of  a  personal  Divine  revelation  and  guidance.  This  is 
the  habitual  claim  of  Moses  and  the  prophets,  of  Christ 
and  the  Apostles.    They  speak  not  merely  as  good  and 

146 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

true    men,    but    as    consciously    moved    by    the    Holy 
Spirit;  and  that  makes  their  message  authoritative. 

When  we  speak  of  the  Bible  as  inspired,  we  mean 
that  the  Divine  authority  extends  both  to  the  thought 
conveyed  and  to  the  language  in  which  it  is  found. 
The  phrase,  ''verbal  inspiration,"  is  loose  and  indefi- 
nite. For  the  Latin  word  verbum,  like  the  Greek 
word  logos,  means  both  word  and  discourse.  It  means 
both  language  in  general,  and  separate  words  in  par- 
ticular. And  the  essential  thing  contended  for  in 
"verbal  inspiration,"  is  that  the  language  of  the  Bible 
authoritatively  conveys  the  thought  of  God.  That 
position  must  be  maintained  in  any  rational  and  con- 
sistent doctrine  of  inspiration.  For  thought  and  lan- 
guage are  inseparable.  The  metaphysicians  have  de- 
bated whether  thought  is  possible  without  language; 
but  certainly  there  can  be  no  communication  of 
thought  from  man  to  man  without  language;  and  the 
supreme  question  for  us  is  whether  the  writers  of 
the  Bible  have  given  us,  in  the  language  which  they 
used,  the  thought  which  God  gave  them.  We  are  not 
primarily  concerned  with  the  problem  of  the  nature 
and  the  method  of  that  impact  of  the  Spirit  of  God 
upon  the  mind  of  the  prophet  or  of  the  apostle  by  which 
they  were  put  into  possession  of  the  Divine  thought. 
The  revelation  was  given  for  purposes  of  communica- 
tion to  us;  and  to  secure  the  accuracy  of  that  com- 
munication, the  language  was  not  a  matter  of  compara- 
tive insignificance.  We  can  get  at  the  thought  of  God 
only  by  the  most  careful  study  of  the  language.  We 
cannot  neglect  idioms,  not  even  particles,  and  moods, 
and   tenses.     We   must   master   the   language   of   the 

147 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

prophet,  in  which  alone  he  could  communicate  the 
Divine  message.  If  I  want  to  make  my  thought  clear 
to  a  child,  so  that  he  can  communicate  it  clearly  to 
others,  I  must  put  it  in  the  terms  of  that  child's  lan- 
guage, no  matter  how  imperfect  it  may  be.  I  must  use 
the  child's  logic,  rhetoric,  and  vocabulary.  And  when 
God  would  make  His  will  known  through  a  prophet. 
He  could  do  it  in  no  other  way  than  by  accommodating 
Himself  to  such  mastery  of  language  as  the  prophet 
possessed.  For  the  aim  of  revelation  is  not  the  illu- 
mination of  the  prophet,  but  the  communication  of 
truth  to  us  through  the  prophet ;  and  hence  the  Divine 
superintendence  must  extend  to,  and  include,  the  lan- 
guage as  well  as  the  thought.  Hence  the  words  of 
Scripture  must  be  carefully  and  closely  studied,  if  we 
want  to  reach  the  thought  of  God;  only  the  separate 
words  must  not  be  dissected  by  the  entymological 
knife-blade,  but  treated  as  the  members  of  living  dis- 
course. And  as  no  two  men  use  language  in  exactly 
the  same  way,  we  must  not  lump  the  Scriptures,  but 
carefully  study  the  idiom  and  verbal  peculiarities  of 
each  writer,  with  constant  reference  to  his  literary, 
social,   and  religious   environment. 

When  we  speak  of  the  Bible  as  inspired,  we  mean — 
and  it  is  of  supreme  importance  to  remember  this — 
that  it  is  infallibly  authoritative  for  a  definite  purpose. 
Inspiration  did  not  impart  omniscience.  It  did  not 
eliminate  ignorance  of  every  kind.  It  did  not  guar- 
antee infallible  authority  on  all  subjects.  It  guided 
men  only  along  that  single  and  definite  line  where 
authoritative  guidance  was  needed.  It  did  not  busy 
itself   with    genealogical    registers,    or   chronological 

148 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

tables,  or  scientific  theories,  or  an  annalistic  treatment 
of  the  histor3^  It  was  simply  intent  upon  making 
known  to  men  the  mind  and  will  of  God  concerning 
righteousness  and  redemption.  It  was  said  long  ago, 
by  a  Catholic  theologian,  when  Galileo  was  tried  for 
heresy:  "The  Scriptures  do  not  tell  us  how  the  heav- 
ens go,  but  how  to  go  to  heaven."  When  we  say  that 
the  Bible  is  inspired,  has  in  it  the  breath  of  God,  we 
also  limit  the  inspiration;  we  simply  mean  that  they 
authoritatively  teach  us  what  God  is,  what  God  has 
done  to  save  us,  and  what  we  must  do  to  be  sav.ed. 


Statement  and  Treatment  of  Scriptural 
Differences. 

There  are  many  types  of  doctrine  in  the  Old  and 
New  Testaments,  and  one  of  the  most  fruitful  of  mod- 
ern studies  has  been  the  setting  forth  of  these  differ- 
ences. There  is  a  theology  of  the  Pentateuch,  if  not 
several;  there  is  a  theology  of  the  Psalms,  and  that, 
too,  has  its  varieties;  there  is  a  theology  of  Hosea, 
of  Amos,  of  Isaiah,  of  James,  of  Peter,  of  Paul,  of 
John.  It  is  the  same  precious  metal  held  in  a  variety 
of  molds.  The  diversity  is  not  contradiction.  The 
later  statement  does  not  supplant  the  preceding  ones. 
It  complements  and  crowns  them,  as  the  stalk  crowns 
the  root,  as  blossom  and  fruit  crown  the  trunk.  The 
variety  has  disclosed  the  deeper  unity  of  Scripture,  and 
the  steady  advance  of  revelation  from  Moses  to  John. 
Moses  did  not  know  it  all,  and  he  did  not  say  it  all. 
Isaiah  did  not  know  it  all,  and  he  did  not  say  it  all. 
Paul  did  not  know  it  all,  and  he  did  not  say  it  all.    We 

149 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

must  join  them  all  together,  when  we  want  the  mes- 
sage in  its  completeness,  with  Christ's  own  words  to 
illuminate  the  whole.  It  is  just  this  which  makes  the 
Gospel  of  John,  latest  of  all  the  inspired  writings, 
of  such  transcendent  importance,  because  in  it  we 
discover  the  depth  and  height  of  our  Lord's  teaching, 
as  we  do  nowhere  else. 

Inspiration  is  not  inconsistent  with  inaccuracy  in 
statement,  and  with  imperfection  of  unimportant  de- 
tails. There  are  many  admitted  difficulties  and  discrep- 
ancies of  verbal  statement  in  the  Scriptures.  The  Ten 
Commandments  are  differently  phrased  in  Exodus  and 
in  Deuteronomy.  In  many  particulars  the  Book  of 
Chronicles  differs  from  the  Book  of  Kings.  The  gene- 
alogies of  Matthew  and  of  Luke  have  never  been  satis- 
factorily harmonized.  The  Lord's  Prayer  is  differently 
reported.  The  Sermon  on  the  Mount  is  not  verbally  the 
same  in  Luke  as  in  Matthew.  The  details  in  the  dif- 
ferent accounts  of  our  Lord's  resurrection  are  not  capa- 
ble of  being  perfectly  harmonized  in  the  present  state 
of  our  knowledge.  The  discourses  of  our  Lord  as  re- 
ported by  John,  show  marked  peculiarities  of  thought 
and  expression,  when  we  compare  them  with  the  dis- 
courses preserved  in  the  earlier  Gospels.  No  one  de- 
nies these  facts ;  no  one  can  deny  them.  They  are  not 
all  due  to  the  carelessness  of  copyists.  Some  of  them 
undoubtedly  are;  but  many  others  belong  to  the  very 
fiber  of  the  Scriptural  narrative.  And  no  considerate 
theologian  holds  a  doctrine  of  inspiration  which  com- 
pels him  to  deny  these  differences  and  discrepancies. 
Even  those  who  would  make  the  word  "inerrancy"  a 
test,  a  word  which  is  found  neither  in  the  Bible  nor  in 

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THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

the  great  Protestant  confessions,  and  cannot  therefore 
be  made  a  test  of  orthodoxy,  only  mean  by  it  accuracy, 
the  absence  of  positive  and  serious  error.  They  freely 
admit  difficulties  and  discrepancies.  They  deem  silence 
wiser  and  more  reverent  than  dogmatic  speech.  They 
insist,  however,  that  the  general  law  of  Scripture  is 
accuracy,  giving  us  a  true  picture  of  fact  and  an  au- 
thoritative disclosure  of  the  mind  of  God. 
:  "Errors  and  inaccuracies,"  sa3^s  Van  Oosterzee,  "in 
matters  of  subordinate  importance  are  undoubtedly 
to  be  found  in  the  Bible.  A  Luther,  a  Calvin,  a  Coe- 
cejus,  among  the  older  theologians ;  a  Tholuck,  a 
Neander,  a  Lange,  a  Stier,  among  the  more  modern 
ones,  have  admitted  this  without  hesitation.  But  this 
proves  absolutely  nothing  against  the  trustworthy  au- 
thority of  the  Word  of  God,  where  it  is  speaking  of  the 
Way  of  Salvation."  Dr.  Henry  B.  Smith,  speaking  of 
those  who  have  maintained  that  all  the  contents  of  the 
Bible  were  dictated  word  for  word,  and  syllable  by  syl- 
lable, adds :  "This  theory  has  now  scarcely  any  advo- 
cates. It  has  to  be  explained  so  as  to  be  consistent 
with  different  reports  of  the  same  sayings,  and  with 
different  details  of  the  same  facts,  and  with  different 
citations  of  the  same  passage;  and  after  it  has  been 
subjected  to  these  modifications,  it  is  no  longer  a  com- 
manding theory."  And  Dr.  Charles  Hodge  writes : 
"The  errors  in  matters  of  fact  which  sceptics  search 
out  bear  no  proportion  to  the  whole.  No  sane  man 
would  deny  that  the  Parthenon  was  built  of  marble, 
even  if  here  and  there  a  speck  of  sandstone  should  be 
detected  in  its  structure.  Not  less  unreasonable  is  it 
to  deny  the  inspiration  of  such  a  book  as  the  Bible,  be- 

151 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

cause  one  sacred  writer  says  that  on  a  given  occasion 
twenty-four,  and  another  says  twenty-three,  thousand 
men  were  slain.  Surely,  a  Christian  may  be  allowed 
to  tread  such  objections  under  his  feet."  To  which  it 
is  proper  to  add  that  a  reverent  student  of  the  Bible 
must  so  frame  his  doctrine  of  inspiration  as  to  leave 
room  for  such  differences  as  Dr.  Hodge  instances,  and 
for  many  others  which  are  not  so  easily  explained. 
We  may  rest  assured  that  the  plenary  authority  of  the 
Bible  will  not  suffer  by  dealing  with  it  honestly  and 
fearlessly.  There  is  some  justification  for  impatience 
with  those  who  spend  all  their  time  and  energy  in  pick- 
ing flaws,  in  pointing  out  and  magnifying  the  specks  of 
sandstone  in  the  temple  of  God's  truth ;  but  neither 
should  a  speck  of  sandstone  be  ignored  and  labeled  by 
some  other  name.  The  great  evangelical  contention  is 
that  the  Holy  Scriptures  are  authoritative  and  binding 
in  their  essential  contents,  in  what  they  teach  of  right- 
eousness, and  redemption,  and  the  kingdom  of  God. 


The  Constraining  Love  of  Christ. 

There  is  work  for  us  to  do,  as  well  as  burdens  to 
bear.  It  is  often  discouraging.  We  look  with  longing 
eyes  for  the  harvest.  We  wonder  whether  we  are  not 
spending  our  strength  in  vain.  There  is  but  one 
motive  which  can  supply  us  with  needed  strength 
and  tenacity — the  love  of  Christ  for  men.  Solicitude 
for  their  personal  safety,  here  and  hereafter,  is  some- 
thing which  cannot  be  for  any  one  of  us  an  habitual 
and  conscious  incentive.  We  should  be  raving  maniacs 
in   a   month.      More   legitimate   is   the   motive   which 

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THE    CHRIST    OP    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

springs  from  the  love  of  righteousness.  But  that  takes 
the  form  of  duty  rather  than  of  inspiration.  It  gives 
no  wings  to  endeavor.  Higher  and  mightier  still  is 
love  for  our  Saviour.  But  love  in  us  is  not  self-fed 
and  self-moved.  It  is  subject  to  many  fluctuations. 
It  has  flood  and  ebb,  and  the  tide  must  come  in  every 
day.  Ah !  That  is  what  the  church  needs,  the  tide, 
the  baptism  of  the  spirit,  the  vision  of  Christ's  love 
for  the  world,  whenever  the  trumpet  calls  to  service, 
though  the  path  lies  through  the  death  shades.  The 
love  of  Christ  must  constrain  us.  For  in  that  love 
there  is  an  intensity,  a  universality,  a  tenacity,  a 
wealth  of  resources  and  appliances  which  will  impart 
to  us  a  holy  and  undying  enthusiasm.  Whether  we 
think  of  the  heathen  abroad,  or  of  the  heathen  who 
throng  our  own  streets,  we  shall  go  with  winged  feet 
and  with  an  indomitable  assurance  of  ultimate  success, 
if  we  make  Christ's  love  our  theme  and  inspiration. 
By  that  sign  we  conquer,  mastering  our  fears  and 
doubts,  perpetually  refreshed  for  service,  anticipating 
the  glory  of  the  hastening  triumph,  and  facing  death 
with  banners  unfurled,  and  with  the  spirit  of  victory 
upon  our  lips. 

I  am  standing  at  the  gate  of  a  palace.  There  are 
no  grim  sentinels  to  crowd  me  back.  I  am  weary, 
hungry,  homeless.  The  night  has  settled  down  upon 
me,  and  in  the  fierce  North  the  tempest  is  gathering. 
Food  and  rest  and  safety  are  within  sight,  but  I  dare 
not  claim  them:  for  my  longing  and  my  need  are  no 
assurance  that  I  would  be  welcome.  I  feast  my  eyes 
upon  the  light,  upon  the  tables  spread  with  generous 
abundance,  and  upon  the  guests  whose  shining  faces 

153 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

speak  their  joy.  But  the  vision  only  makes  more  sad 
and  conscious  plight.  Nor  am  I  alone.  I  am  one  of 
a  great  company  huddled  at  the  gateway,  hungry, 
ragged,  weary  unto  death.  Suddenly  the  palace  front 
blazes  with  electric  Hghts,  whose  message  burns  its 
way  into  my  heart.  I  read :  "Welcome  to  every  wan- 
derer, to  all  who  are  footsore  and  friendless.  Who- 
soever will,  let  him  come."  And  the  doors  are  wide 
open. 

This  is  not  a  dream.  It  is  a  blessed  reality.  An 
outcast  there  is  not  on  the  face  of  the  wide  earth.  A 
friendless  soul  there  is  not  among  the  millions  of  the 
race.  For  though  man  may  repudiate  the  claims  of 
brotherhood,  God  does  not  surrender  His  Fatherhood. 
Though  it  be  but  one  sheep  out  of  a  hundred,  or  one 
coin  out  of  ten,  he  misses  and  wants  His  lost  posses- 
sion. It  is  lost  to  Him.  Every  wandering  prodigal 
leaves  a  vacancy  in  His  heart,  and  rouses  His  intensest 
solicitude.  Forgiveness  and  healing,  the  joy  and  the 
inheritance  of  sonship,  are  within  the  reach  of  all. 
This  is  the  Gospel,  the  glad  and  inspiring  message 
which  Jesus  Christ  bids  us  carry  to  all  men.  You 
have  believed  it,  and  you  have  taken  God  at  His  word. 
You  are  resting  on  God's  love.  It  has  brought  you 
peace.  It  stirs  you  to  purity.  It  makes  you  submis- 
sive and  patient.  It  fills  you  with  the  hope  of  glory. 
Repeat  the  story  to  yourself  every  morning  as  you 
begin  your  work,  and  at  night  when  you  lie  down  to 
sleep.  And  tell  it  to  your  neighbor,  to  the  children, 
to  the  young  and  to  the  old,  to  rich  and  poor,  to  those 
who  laugh  and  to  those  who  weep,  to  the  broken 
hearted  and  to  the  despairing,  until  all  faces  shine, 
and  all  hearts  are  glad,  and  all  lives  are  pure. 

154 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES. 

The  Later  Religious  Spirit. 

We  are  slowly  learning  to  fix  our  eyes  on  the  present 
life  and  upon  this  planet,  as  the  sphere  into  which  we 
are  to  look  for  the  fruits  of  the  preaching  of  the 
Gospel,  and  this  is  making  us  clamorous  for  a  work- 
ing theology,  a  theology  which  shall  show  us  how 
most  intelligently  and  successfully  to  deal  with  practi- 
cal problems  (1892).  We  do  not  beheve  less  in  heaven 
and  hell,  but  we  believe  a  good  deal  more  in  the  earth 
than  did  our  fathers.  Ours  is  a  great  missionary  age. 
Salvation  has  a  large,  practical  meaning.  It  involves 
something  more  than  rescue  from  future  perdition.  It 
is  a  present  deliverance  from  the  power  of  sin,  and  a 
present  reign  of  righteousness.  It  concerns  the  indi- 
vidual, the  home,  the  city,  the  nation,  the  world,  capital 
and  labor,  art  and  science,  work  and  play.  We  speak 
more  of  duty  than  of  destiny,  more  of  the  present  than 
of  the  future.  The  mission  of  the  church  is  with  the 
present,  ungodly  world,  to  subdue  and  transfigure  it, 
and  the  Scriptures  are  our  armory  in  conducting  that 
campaign.  We  are  not  preaching  the  Gospel  merely 
as  a  testimony  against  the  nations,  or,  as  Dr.  Van 
Dyke  is  reported  once  to  have  pithily  said,  ''to  furnish 
Almighty  God  with  a  good  and  sufficient  reason  for 
damning  the  people  who  refuse  to  listen  to  us;"  nor 
are  we  preaching  the  Gospel  as  a  means  of  gathering 
the  elect,  which  practically  amounts  to  the  same  thing, 
but  we  are  preaching  the  Gospel  to  redeem  the  world. 
And  here  we  only  retreat  to  the  position  of  prophets 
and  apostles,  the  horizon  of  whose  vision  was  always 
bounded  by  a  renewed  and  redeemed  earth.     Daniel's 

155 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

fourth  and  eternal  kingdom  is  an  earthly  kingdom. 
John's  city  of  jasper  and  gold,  the  New  Jerusalem, 
comes  down  from  God  out  of  heaven ;  it  is  the  capital 
of  an  earthly  empire,  where  temples  are  no  longer 
needed,  and  where  the  night  never  comes.  To  this 
kingdom  belongs  the  eternal  future,  whose  king  is 
Jesus  Christ.  Be  it  ours  to  crown  Him  Lord  of  all  in 
our  own  hearts,  and  to  fight  under  His  banner,  that 
when  the  silver  trumpets  of  victory  sound,  we  may 
march  in  the  conquering  ranks  and  receive  our  reward. 


The  Atonement. 

God  makes  His  redeeming  mercy  effective  in  Jesus 
Christ,  who,  by  His  incarnation,  holy  life,  sacrificial 
death  and  glorious  resurrection,  paid  the  price  of  our 
moral  emancipation.  A  sinless  man,  victorious  over 
death,  is  the  salvation  of  our  guilty  and  enslaved 
nature.  The  substitution  is  personal.  He  took  our 
place.  He  became  man  and  conquered  in  the  bitter 
fight  with  sin.  He  reversed  the  moral  history  of  the 
world.  He  did  not  endure  the  wrath  of  God,  for  God 
sent  Him  to  give  effect  to  His  redeeming  mercy,  and 
He  was  always  the  well-beloved.  He  did  not  suffer 
our  deserved  penalties,  for  He  was  not  a  sinner,  and 
could  not,  therefore,  experience  guilt,  or  shame,  or 
penitence,  or  remorse;  and  beside,  the  penalties  of 
crime  cannot  be  transferred.  He  did  not  suffer  what 
was  an  equivalent  to  our  punishment,  because  a  per- 
fect moral  law  cannot  compromise  its  claims.  The  soul 
that  sinneth,  it  shall  die.  His  sufferings  were  simply 
such  as  were  inevitable  in  overcoming  sin  and  death, 

IS6 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

in  giving  force  to  God's  redeeming  mercy.  When,  the 
other  day,  that  brave  man  plunged  into  the  moving 
ice  to  rescue  a  drowning  woman,  he  risked  his  own 
life  in  the  attempt.  The  water  chilled  him  to  the 
bone,  the  ice  cut  his  hands  and  face.  But  you  would 
not  call  his  suffering  penal,  nor  would  you  say  that 
his  suffering  took  the  place  of  the  woman's  suffering, 
whose  cry  for  help  he  had  heard  and  heeded.  He  took 
the  woman's  place,  wedded  his  life  to  hers  and  let  her 
go  only  when  his  numb  hands  became  powerless.  His 
suffering  was  purely  remedial — there  was  no  transfer 
in  the  case.  Jesus  Christ  made  common  cause  with 
us  when  He  became  a  man.  He  plunged  into  the 
chilling  tide  of  death  to  save  us.  I  am  careful  to  look 
at  this  matter  in  the  simple  and  Scriptural  form  in 
which  the  Scriptures  deal  with  it,  ignoring  the  inter- 
minable metaphysics  with  which  the  doctrine  of  the 
atonement  has  been  overlaid.  I  will  not  preach  what 
I  do  not  understand.  And  I  do  not  understand  the 
theologians,  much  as  I  believe  in  theology.  The  Scrip- 
tural language  I  can  and  do  understand,  when  it 
represents  Jesus  Christ  as  the  gift  of  God's  redeeming 
mercy,  who  in  His  own  flesh  destroyed  the  power  of 
sin  and  of  death,  and  so  inaugurated  the  eternal  re- 
demption of  my  nature.  I  only  need  to  surrender 
myself  to  Him,  and  let  Him  repeat  that  conquest  in 
my  flesh,  and  I  shall  be  what  He  is.  The  great  atone- 
ment, as  an  act  of  glorious  emancipation,  to  which 
deliverance  I  became  heir  by  faith  in  Christ,  I  can 
understand ;  and  that  is  the  form  in  which  it  is  most 
frequently  set  forth  in  the  Old  and  New  Testaments. 
The  most  terrible   fact  about   sin   is   my  bondage  or 

157 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

enslavement  to  it.  Pardon  is  of  little  avail.  I  must 
be  emancipated.  Some  one  must  kill  the  tyrant  who 
has  me  in  his  grip.  That  Jesus  Christ  has  done,  as 
plainly  appears  in  His  holy  life,  and  in  His  victory 
over  death.  The  secret  of  salvation  is  in  His  hands, 
and  He  only  can  impart  it  to  me.  Therefore,  faith  in 
Him  becomes  the  natural,  the  necessary  and  inevitable 
channel  of  redeeming  power.  I  must  be  in  Him,  and 
abide  in  Him  as  the  branch  is  and  abides  in  the  vine. 
If  to  some  of  you  this  has  a  strange  sound,  let  me  say 
that  I  have  struggled  through  every  theory  of  the 
atonement  which  has  been  propounded,  and  this  is 
the  only  construction  of  it  which  I  can  understand,  and 
which  is  verified  to  me  in  my  personal  experience.  In 
Jesus  Christ  I  find  the  conqueror  of  my  sin.  As  I 
come  near  to  Him,  and  surrender  myself  to  the  power 
of  His  spirit,  sin  is  hated,  holiness  is  loved,  tempta- 
tion recedes,  penitence  is  quickened,  and  purity,  like 
a  winged  white  dove,  broods  over  the  disturbed  depths 
of  my  spirit.  I  know  it,  I  know  it!  and  through  my 
experience,  and  the  part  which  He  shares  in  it,  I  read 
the  secret  of  His  mighty  passion,  and  of  His  glorious 
redemption.  In  Him  God  has  made  His  redeeming 
grace  effective. 

Unity  in  Congregationalism. 
The  secret  of  unity  lies  in  independence,  and  in  the 
right  of  association  which  such  independence  involves ; 
leaving  doctrinal,  ritual,  and  administrative  prefer- 
ences to  express  themselves  freely  and  without  damage 
or  loss  to  universal  Christian  fellowship.  When  we 
shall  come  to  see  that  the  church  makes  the  denomi- 

158 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES. 

nation,  not  the  denomination  the  church,  and  that  the 
church  may  be  a  church  with  or  without  denomina- 
tional affihation,  as  a  man  may  be  a  man  in  rags  or  in 
purple,  the  problem  of  Christian  unity  will  cease  to 
vex  us,  and  the  way  will  be  prepared  for  Christian 
federation.  I  believe,  therefore,  that  Congregational- 
ism still  has  a  mission,  as  a  repudiation  of  theological 
dogmatism,  as  a  protest  against  ecclesiastical  central- 
ization and  as  involved  in  these,  to  point  the  simplest 
way  to  the  unit)  of  Christendom.  Congregationalism 
boldly  takes  the  ground  that  fellowship  in  Christ  is 
the  only  countersign  in  the  Christian  brotherhood ;  or 
to  use  Robert  Hall's  phrase,  coined  for  a  different 
purpose,  but  applicable  here :  ''Nothing  may  be  a  term 
of  communion  which  is  not  a  term  of  salvation." 


End  of  Ten  Years  in  Central  Church. 
I  am  to  speak  of  the  principles  which  have  shaped 
my  ministry,  and  more  especially  my  public  utterances, 
for  my  main  work  among  you  has  been  from  the  pul- 
pit. And  in  calling  your  attention  to  these  principles, 
my  embarrassment  is  greatly  relieved  by  the  reflection 
that  my  predecessors  and  myself  have  walked  in  the 
same  steps,  and  have  been  of  the  same  mind.  Your 
pastors  have  changed,  but  the  tone  of  their  preaching 
has  been  the  same.  And  it  has  been  the  same  because 
not  one  of  them  has  dared  to  speak  otherwise  than  as 
the  oracles  of  God  dictated.  You  have  been  kept  in 
line  with  the  company  of  prophets  and  apostles,  of 
martyrs  and  of  saints.  Each  man  has  builded  in  his 
own  way,  but  the  foundation  has   neither  been   dis- 

159 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

turbed  nor  disregarded.  This  pulpit  has  never  been 
a  free  lance,  and  I  hope  it  never  will  be.  For  the 
Christian  Church  has  a  definite  mission,  and  the  Chris- 
tian ministry  has  a  clearly  defined  vocation.  It  is  not 
commissioned  to  enter  the  field  of  political  reforma- 
tion, nor  to  assume  leadership  in  industrial  and  eco- 
nomic movements,  nor  to  pose  as  experts  in  science 
and  letters,  nor  even  to  engage  in  theological  disputes. 
Its  simple  task  is  to  preach  the  Gospel ;  to  tell  the  old 
story,  than  which  no  better  one  was  ever  told,  and 
to  tell  it  with  such  directness,  freshness  and  force, 
that  it  shall  burn  its  way  into  the  hearts  of  men,  and  so 
transfigure  their  lives.  Some  may  regard  this  as  a 
very  restricted  vocation ;  but  it  is  the  narrowness  of 
Paul  and  of  Jesus  Christ  which  aims  at  the  innermost 
life  and  leaves  the  rest  to  be  molded  by  it.  It  is  a  lim- 
itation divinely  imposed,  the  wisdom  of  which  has  been 
amply  justified  in  the  history  of  the  past  and  in  the 
record  of  present  Christendom.  A  courageous  accept- 
ance of  that  limitation  is  the  preacher's  safety,  and 
it  is  his  strength.  In  adhering  to  it  he  avoids  a  thou- 
sand entanglements,  and  secures  for  the  Divine  mes- 
sage the  ear  of  an  undivided  and  undistracted  con- 
stituency. It  is  the  dictate  of  prudence,  and  it  is  the 
high  behest  of  that  loyalty  which  he  owes  to  Jesus 
Christ,  the  Master. 


Future  Punishment. 
The  doctrine  of  eternal  punishment  must  be  sep- 
arated from  the  notion  of  a  divine  vindictiveness.     I 
have  seen  the  statement  in  cold  type,  that  in  order  to 
reveal  His  glory,   God  must  have  subjects  of  grace 

i6o 


First  Baptist   Church,  Ci.evki.and,  Ohio 
(Dr.  Behrends'  Second  Pastorate) 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

and  victims  of  wrath.  Nothing  can  be  more  false. 
The  State  does  not  need  criminals  to  give  expression 
to  its  righteousness.  By  its  reformatory  institutions 
it  seeks  to  reduce  the  criminal  class,  and  would  be 
glad  to  eliminate  it  altogether.  The  glory  of  the  State 
is  not  in  its  penitentiaries.  And  God  does  not  need 
sinners  for  the  display  of  His  justice.  He  hates  sin 
with  an  infinite  hatred.  He  does  not  permit  or  use 
it  as  an  occasion  for  the  display  of  His  justice.  He 
would  rather  not  use  His  punitive  justice  at  all. 
Judgment  is  His  strange  work,  from  which  He  shrinks. 
His  rule  is  one  of  remedial  agencies  in  which  all  things 
are  so  ordered  as  to  check  sin  and  save  the  sinner. 
The  bolt  leaps  only  when  it  must,  when  it  can  no 
longer  be  held  back.  He  is  long  suffering.  He  has 
no  pleasure  in  any  man's  death.  He  wills  every  man's 
salvation.     God  loves  all. 

Christ  died  for  all.  Truth  and  the  Holy  Spirit  are 
for  all.  There  is  plenary  ability  and  gracious  oppor- 
tunity for  all.  These  things  the  Gospel  places  in  the 
foreground.  There  is  a  book  of  life;  but  it  has  well 
been  added,  there  is  no  book  of  death.  When  a  soul 
is  saved  all  heaven  is  glad,  and  God  records  the  name ; 
but  when  a  soul  is  lost  God  has  no  heart  to  write  the 
name  in  a  book  kept  for  that  purpose.  We  do  read  of 
names  that  are  blotted  out  of  the  book  of  life,  a  thing 
which  implies  regret;  but  we  read  of  no  erasures  in 
the  book  of  death,  because  there  is  no  such  book. 
God  has  but  one  book,  the  book  of  life.  In  that  book 
every  name  is  written  in  lines  of  blood,  and  where  any 
name  is  blotted  out,  it  is  because  the  grace  that  saves 
has  been  wilfully  and  wickedly  rejected.     God  wants 

i6i 
6 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES. 

no  victims  of  his  wrath.  He  does  not  need  a  hell  to 
magnify  His  justice,  and  its  presence  must  be  a  per- 
petual sorrow  to  Him  as  we  deplore  the  necessity 
which,  in  the  interests  of  pubHc  security,  compels  us 
to  send  men  to  Sing  Sing.    God  is  not  vindictive. 

The  doctrine  of  eternal  punishment  must  be  sepa- 
rated from  the  notion  of  external  infliction.  When  the 
Bible  speaks  of  ^'stripes"  we  are  to  remember  that  the 
language  is  figurative.  We  are  not  to  think  of  a  whip- 
ping post  to  which  men  are  tied  while  so  many  lashes 
are  laid  upon  their  backs.  The  soul  lashes  itself. 
When  the  Scriptures  speak  of  a  prison  of  outer  dark- 
ness, and  a  bottomless  pit,  we  are  not  to  materialize 
these  phrases  as  if  they  meant  definite  places,  fitted  up 
with  all  the  means  of  inflicting  penalties.  The  soul 
holds  all  these.  It  is  not  in  them,  they  are  in  it. 
Heaven  and  hell,  the  glory  and  shame,  are  in  us.  Hun- 
dreds of  men  have  been  thrust  into  prisons  who  were 
not  branded  thereby.  It  is  no  disgrace  to  Paul  and 
Bunyan  that  they  were  flung  into  dungeons.  The  crim- 
inal brand  did  not  adhere  to  them.  It  was  no  shame 
that  Christ  died  on  the  cross.  The  martyrs  suffered  no 
ignominy  because  the  fire  consumed  their  bodies.  A 
thousand  judges  cannot  break  his  spirit  if  he  be  en- 
trenched in  conscious  innocence.  Shame  and  disgrace 
and  misery  come  only  by  self-judgment.  ''Myself  am 
hell,"  Milton  makes  Satan  say ;  and  the  bHnd  poet  was 
right.  The  broken  law  is  not  enforced  by  external 
penalties;  the  judgment  of  God,  whatever  it  may  be, 
is  always  articulated  and  enforced  in  the  self-judg- 
ment of  the  man.  The  soul  is  its  own  and  only  cham- 
ber of  torture. 

162 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

The  doctrine  of  eternal  punishment  must  be  sepa- 
rated from  the  notion  that  physical  suffering  is  the 
penalty  of  sin,  or  its  main  ingredient.  There  is  a  con- 
ception of  eternal  punishment  which  commends  itself 
to  my  rational  judgment,  but  the  infliction  of  physical 
torment  is  something  which  fills  me  w4th  unqualified 
horror,  and  the  God  which  would  do  such  a  thing 
would  simply  be  an  omnipotent  and  unmitigated  devil. 
Righteousness  is  not  cruelty.  But  do  we  not  read  of 
the  fire  that  cannot  be  quenched,  and  the  worm  which 
dieth  not,  wailing  and  gnashing  of  teeth,  the  outer 
darkness,  hell  fire,  the  bottomless  pit,  and  the  lake 
which  bumeth  with  fire  and  brimstone?  Yes;  but  if 
you  will  locate  the  imagery  you  will  see  that  it  does  not 
suggest  the  idea  of  torture.  The  hell  of  our  English 
speech  is  simply  the  Greek  word  Gehenna,  and  that  is 
simply  the  Hebrew  Ge  Hinnom,  the  Valley  of  Hinnom. 
And  what  was  this  Ge  Hinnom?  It  is  a  deep,  nar- 
row ravine  to  the  south  of  Jerusalem,  and  outside  the 
city  walls,  where  Alhas  had  located  the  worship  of  the 
fire  gods,  and  where  living  sacrifices  had  been  offered 
to  Moloch.  Its  associations  became  so  abominable  that 
it  was  made  the  dumping  ground  of  the  bodies  of 
criminals,  of  the  carcasses  of  beasts,  and  of  everything 
that  was  unclean.  And  to  prevent  the  place  becoming 
a  breeding  ground  of  pestilence  the  fires  were  kept  per- 
petually burning.  No  living  thing  was  tortured  there. 
Only  the  putrid  and  loathsome  were  deposited  there, 
the  things  which  were  dangerous  to  health,  and  the 
fire  was  simply  a  sanitary  provision.  It  prevented 
pestilential  contagion.  The  idea,  therefore,  in  the  ter- 
rible imagery,  is  simply  that  of  separation  of  the  un- 

163 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

clean  from  the  clean,  and  the  unholy  from  the  holy, 
a  separation  com.pleted  by  forever  putting  an  end  to  the 
corrupting  power  of  the  unclean  and  the  unholy.  The 
fires  of  judgment  are  a  purifying  agency,  making  an 
end  to  the  power  of  sin ;  they  are  not  a  means  of  tor- 
ture. Gehenna  stands  for  the  destruction  of  sin — put- 
ting an  eternal  end  to  its  power  for  moral  mischief  and 
misery. 

We  reach  the  same  conclusion  by  another  path  of 
reasoning.  The  imagery  of  the  final  judgment  is  local. 
It  is  drawn  from  the  judicial  methods  then  in  vogue. 
These  included  physical  torture  of  the  most  barbaric 
kind.  The  prisons  were  made  living  and  loathsome 
tombs.  One  cannot  now  inspect  them  without  inde- 
scribable horror.  I  entered  only  two  of  them  in  Rome, 
and  I  had  enough  for  a  lifetime.  It  makes  one  faint 
and  sick  at  heart  to  look  at  the  instruments  of  torture 
freely  used  to  extort  confession.  And  when  death 
was  inflicted  it  was  with  a  fiendish  glee.  Men  and 
women  were  flayed  and  sawn  asunder,  and  disem- 
boweled, and  quartered,  and  crucified.  But  I  spare 
you.  It  is  too  horrible  for  description.  Now,  the 
judicial  procedure  must  be  taken  as  a  whole  if  we  are 
to  read  aright  so  much  of  it  as  has  been  incorporated 
in  the  Biblical  description.  The  largest  part  of  it  finds 
no  place  in  Scripture.  It  is  a  fact  of  great  signifi- 
cance, which  has  not  been  sufficiently  considered,  that 
physical  torture  finds  no  place  in  the  examination  by 
which  eternal  destiny  is  determined.  Souls  are  not 
starved  into  confession.  The  truth  is  not  extorted  by 
thumb-screw  and  rack.  The  nations  are  self-convicted 
when  they  appear  before  the  Judge.     They  have  not 

164 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

been  brought  out  of  dungeons.  They  are  not  scourged 
in  His  presence. 

Now,  the  first  great  reform  in  the  judiciary  was  the 
elimination  of  torture  from  the  trial  of  the  accused. 
The  court  room  was  purged  of  it.  That  feature  has 
dropped  out  of  our  modern  procedure,  and  with  it 
have  gradually  disappeared  the  means  once  freely  em- 
ployed in  the  prisons  to  make  the  life  of  the  inmates 
one  of  physical  torment.  They  are  punished,  but  they 
are  not  starved  and  flogged.  It  is  not  upon  the  body 
that  sentence  is  executed.  Physical  torture  could  hold 
its  place  in  the  prisons  only  so  long  as  it  was  legiti- 
mate in  court  where  the  criminal  was  tried.  When 
the  judge  repudiated  it,  the  warden  could  not  retain  it, 
and  we  have  come  to  brand  it  as  indefensible  cruelty. 

The  argument,  as  applied  to  God's  judgment  of  men, 
is  simply  this :  Physical  suffering  is  not  used  to  secure 
the  confession  of  guilt  and  the  conviction  of  the  guilty ; 
it  cannot,  therefore,  enter  into  the  penalty  which  is  im- 
posed and  executed.  The  judgment  itself  is  always 
represented  as  a  free  moral  process  without  the  use 
of  physical  force,  resulting  in  self-conviction ;  and  that 
makes  it  impossible  for  physical  torture  to  enter  into 
the  penalty.  Thus,  when  the  Scriptural  doctrine  of 
the  final  judgment  is  treated  as  a  unit,  the  notion  of 
physical  suffering  is  summarily  discredited.  It  should 
be  repudiated  in  toto,  and  with  unmistakable  emphasis. 
Torture  is  something  which  has  no  place  in  God's 
moral  economy.  He  destroys  the  power  of  sin,  but  He 
docs  not  stretch  the  sinner  on  the  rack. 

The  doctrine  of  eternal  punishment  must  be  sepa- 
rated from  the  notion  that  the  penalty  is  conscious  and 

165 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

continuous  mental  agony  and  torment.  This  more  re- 
fined theory  is  as  baseless  as  that  of  physical  suffering. 
The  penalty  is  declared  to  be  death,  the  second  death, 
eternal  death.  But  death  is  not  a  state  of  conscious 
suffering  of  any  kind.  What  is  death?  We  define 
physical  death  as  the  separation  of  the  soul  from  the 
body,  but  that  is  only  the  immediate  cause  of  death. 
That  is  not  death.  Death  itself  is  the  stagnation 
of  the  bodily  organs  issuing  in  disintegration  and 
decay.  The  heart  ceases  to  act,  the  muscles  become 
rigid,  and  the  nerves  lose  their  sensitiveness.  Eternal 
death,  we  say,  is  the  eternal  separation  of  the  soul 
from  God.  That  is  only  the  immediate  and  the 
eternal  cause  of  the  soul's  death.  In  its  resultant  effects 
upon  the  soul  it  can  only  be  stagnation,  the  collapse  of 
its  powers,  the  darkening  of  the  mind,  the  hardening 
of  the  sensibilities,  the  searing  of  the  conscience,  the 
weakening  of  the  will.  To  mistake  falsehood  for  truth, 
to  become  past  feeling  and  past  moral  endeavor,  is  the 
ruin  of  the  soul.  So  far  is  it  from  being  true  that 
men  become  more  sensitive  as  they  become  more 
wicked,  that  the  very  reverse  is  the  case.  It  is  the 
youthful  criminal  who  feels  his  disgrace  most  keenly. 
The  old  offender  becomes  hardened  and  falls  into  a 
dull  contentment  with  his  degraded  lot.  His  own  con- 
science does  not  trouble  him,  and  the  public  frown 
does  not  disturb  him.  There  is  hope  of  a  man  so  long 
as  he  is  morally  sensitive.  His  degradation  is  most 
complete  and  hopeless  when  he  has  become  totally  in- 
different. Tell  me,  when  is  manhood  or  womanhood 
in  ruin  ?  Not  among  those  who  blush  for  their  shame 
or  the  victims  of  remorse.     Such  people  are  not  ut- 

i66 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

terly  dead.  The  saddest  spectacle  on  earth  is  a  soul 
which  is  content  with  its  degradation,  which  feels  no 
shame,  and  which  has  ceased  to  care  for  the  good. 
The  absence  of  mental  suffering  in  such  cases  is  only 
an  index  of  the  darkness  and  death  into  which  such  a 
soul  has  fallen.  We  speak  of  such  people  as  wrecks, 
in  whom  all  that  is  noble  has  suffered  collapse.  They 
lie  stranded  upon  the  beach  of  life.  And  eternal  death 
can  mean  only  one  thing,  the  hopeless  and  eternal 
wreck  of  the  soul,  in  whose  awful  crash  reason,  sensi- 
bility, conscience  and  will  go  down  together.  It  is 
moral  annihilation.  It  is  not  ceasing  to  be.  It  is  not 
endless  physical  torment,  it  is  not  conscious  eternal 
shame  and  remorse.  The  soul  is  dead,  and  if  there  be 
anything  sadder  than  that  I  cannot  imagine  what  it  is. 
The  Lord  preserve  us  all  from  that. 

The  doctrine  of  eternal  punishment  must  be  sepa- 
rated from  the  disputed  question  whether  probation 
ends  at  death  or  at  the  final  judgment,  or  whether  it  is 
indefinite.  Some  say  that  God  never  shuts  the  door, 
that  pardon  and  salvation  will  forever  remain  possible. 
The  debate  at  this  point  can  never  reach  a  settled  con- 
clusion, for  the  argument  is  conducted  upon  purely 
speculative  grounds.  If  I  were  asked  the  hypothetical 
question,  "Suppose  that  in  the  endless  future  a  succes- 
sion of  lost  souls  should  sincerely  repent  and  plead  for 
mercy,  would  Jesus  Christ  avert  His  eyes  and  strike 
down  their  hands?"  I  should  answer  promptly  and 
emphatically,  "No!"  But  I  cannot  see  that  there  is 
any  very  great  relief  in  such  a  solution.  It  remains 
to  be  seen  that  impenitence  gradually  wears  away, 
and  does  not  tend  to  permanence;  that  hardness  of 

167 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

heart  disappears  in  time,  instead  of  becoming  more 
absolute.  The  known  facts  are  all  in  the  other  direc- 
tion. The  probabilities  of  moral  reformation  diminish 
as  men  grow  older.  All  are  agreed  that  childhood  and 
youth  are  most  favorable  to  goodness.  Character 
seems  to  tend  to  moral  permanence  at  a  very  early 
period,  and  there  is  nothing  to  warrant  the  idea  that 
millions  of  years  hold  in  them  a  mysterious  grace 
which  is  less  active  in  the  earthly  life,  and  even  were 
the  suggested  possibihty  admitted  it  would  not  follow 
that  ultimately  all  souls  would  repent  and  so  be 
saved.  The  awful  fact  of  a  judgment  involving  the 
possibility  of  the  soul's  eternal  ruin  remains,  how- 
ever far  into  the  future  it  may  be  pushed.  It  cannot 
be  ehminated  from  the  New  Testament.  It  cannot  be 
expunged  from  the  teachings  of  Christ,  and  I  say  to 
you  with  perfect  frankness  that  I  could  be  a  Universal- 
ist  only  by  ceasing  to  be  a  Christian  minister,  and  by 
ceasing  to  bear  the  Christian  name.  I  do  not  say 
that  a  man  must  believe  in  eternal  punishment  in  order 
to  be  a  Christian,  but  I  do  say  that,  so  far  as  I  can  see, 
there  is  an  eternal  logical  contradiction  between  the 
recognition  of  Christ  as  an  authoritative  teacher  and 
the  positive  affirmation  that  there  is  no  such  thing  as 
the  hopeless  and  eternal  ruin  of  the  soul.  Jesus  Christ 
says  there  is,  and  that,  for  me,  ends  the  controversy. 
I  find  no  pleasure  in  the  thought.  I  would  rather 
that  it  were  not  so.  Reduce  the  number  as  you  will, 
bring  it  down  to  ten,  or  even  one,  and  my  heart  is  op- 
pressed. It  is  not  numbers  that  startle  me,  but  the 
awful  fact  itself,  the  simple  idea  of  an  eternally  ruined 
soul — heedlessly    unfeeling,  wrecked.     In   fact,  I  am 

i68 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

not  sure  that  a  reduction  in  numbers  does  not  aggra- 
vate the  burden.  That  one  soul  had  a  mother,  and 
that  mother's  heart  must  forever  carry  the  sorrow 
and  cast  a  shadow  upon  the  heavenly  bliss.  For 
heaven  cannot  mean  oblivion  and  the  death  of  natural 
affection.  I  would  rather  that  all  men  are  saved. 
And  I  believe  that  God  prefers  that.  He  shrinks  from 
blotting  any  man's  name  from  the  book  of  life,  and 
when  it  is  blotted  out  the  vacant  space  must  cause 
Him  deep  and  eternal  grief.  He  is  not  anxious  to 
doom  one  man  to  eternal  death.  But  sin  means  ruin, 
and  God  Himself  cannot  prevent  the  death  of  the  soul 
which  will  not  repent  and  abandon  its  wilful  wicked- 
ness. I  do  not  know  of  any  one  who  has  phrased 
the  matter  more  happily  than  Dean  Alford,  who  holds 
a  deservedly  high  place  among  modern  New  Testa- 
ment scholars,  when  he  says :  "There  is  election  to  life ; 
but  there  is  no  reprobation  to  death;  a  book  of  life; 
but  no  book  of  death ;  no  hell  for  man,  because  the 
blood  of  Jesus  hath  purchased  life  for  all;  but  they 
who  will  serve  the  devil  must  share  with  him  in  the 
end."  This  is  only  saying  that  sin  brings  moral  ruin ; 
a  ruin  ever  deepening  as  sin  is  unrepented  of  and  un- 
forsaken,  until  at  last,  by  persistent  impenitence,  the 
ruin  becomes  hopeless  and  eternal.  God  saves  all 
whom  He  can  save;  and  he  would  gladly  save  all. 
But  He  can  save  from  sin  and  redeem  to  holiness  only 
such  as  hunger  and  thirst  after  righteousness.  He 
can  save  only  such  as  want  to  be  saved.  The  free- 
dom of  the  sinner  is  the  one  thing  which  He  cannot 
force,  and  which  may  thwart  His  grace  forever.  The 
eternal   ruin  of  a   soul,   therefore,   is   sometliing  for 

169 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

which  He  is  in  no  way  responsible,  except  so  far  as 
He  is  responsible  for  making  us  free  and  responsible 
agents.  Or,  to  quote  again  from  Dean  Alford,  "All 
man's  salvation  is  of  God,  all  his  condemnation  from 
himself."  We  live  in  the  economy  of  redemption, 
where  God  leaves  nothing  undone  that  can  be  done 
to  save  every  man ;  and  where  only  deliberate  and  per- 
sistent wickedness  can  doom  a  soul  to  eternal  death. 

All  souls  are  made  to  be  saved,  and  one  soul  as 
much  as  another.  I  cannot  believe  anything  else  when 
I  face  the  Father  in  the  Son  of  Man.  And  yet  the  ter- 
rible shadow  will  not  lift.  Infinite  love,  welcoming 
the  agony  and  the  cross,  that  all  men  may  be  redeemed, 
enduring  them  in  fulfillment  of  the  purpose  of  uni- 
versal redemption,  declares  that  the  soul  may  sink  into 
the  sepulcher  of  an  eternal  death.  Upon  how  many 
that  doom  may  fall  I  do  not  care  to  ask.  Numbers  do 
not  enter  into  the  perplexity  and  pain  with  which  I 
am  to  confront  the  problem  of  man's  eternal  destiny. 
It  is  not  a  question  of  arithmetic;  it  is  a  question  of 
morals.  It  is  a  question  of  paternal  treatment.  I 
could  hold  my  judgment  in  suspense  if  I  were  deal- 
ing only  with  prophetic  and  apostolic  testimony. 

There  is  but  one  witness  whose  words  I  dare  not 
deal  with  as  rhetorical  and  exaggerated.  It  is  the 
testimony  of  Jesus  Christ,  which  checks  my  specula- 
tion. And  He  checks  me  because  His  tone  is  so  in- 
tense. My  dread  of  their  possible  ruin  is  as  a  point 
in  an  infinite  line,  as  a  single  drop  in  all  the  seas,  when 
measured  against  His.  It  is  the  authority  of  infinite 
and  self-sacrificing  love  which  makes  His  work  final 
to  me.    And  He  tells  me  that  there  is  an  outer  dark- 

170 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

ness  from  which  the  soul  never  emerges,  a  second 
death  from  which  there  is  no  resurrection.  The  soul 
may  fall  into  hopeless  ruin.  It  may  defy  all  that  in- 
finite mercy  can  do  to  win  to  holiness  and  heaven. 
I  am  sure  that  the  doom  is  reluctantly  permitted.  It 
is  not  a  positive  infliction  in  the  form  of  external 
penalty.  It  is  not  endless  physical  torture,  nor  endless 
conscious  mental  suffering.  It  is  death.  It  is  the 
soul's  collapse,  is  eternal  wreck  and  ruin.  The  ut- 
most that  God  in  Christ  can  do  is  done  to  prevent  it. 
It  is  the  awful  exception  in  the  divine  economy,  and 
however  few  the  graves  in  which  dead  souls  are 
buried,  the  divine  pity  will  never  cease  to  canopy 
them.  So  it  is  not  God  of  whom  I  am  afraid.  He 
will  not  be  false  to  His  fatherhood.  I  am  afraid  of 
myself,  lest  sin  unrepented  of  and  unremoved  work 
eternal  death  to  me.  Save  us,  Lord,  from  ourselves, 
in  Thy  compassion. 


Athanasius  and  the  Incarnation. 

There  never  was  a  fiercer  nor  a  more  protracted 
theological  conflict  than  the  one  which,  more  than 
fifteen  hundred  years  ago,  Athanasius  conducted.  He 
was  born  in  the  year  299,  and  died  in  the  year  373,  and, 
during  the  forty-five  years  of  his  Alexandrian  episco- 
pate, the  intensity  of  his  doctrinal  struggle  never 
abated  for  a  moment.  He  was  short  in  stature  and  in- 
significant in  appearance.  But  in  keenness  and  vigor 
of  thought  he  was  more  than  a  match  for  his  opponents. 

171 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

He  may  almost  be  said  to  have  fought  single-handed, 
so  that  "Athanasius  against  the  world"  passed  into 
a  proverb.  The  ecclesiastical  and  political  odds  against 
him  were  tremendous.  Five  times  was  he  driven  into 
exile,  but  no  suffering  could  break  his  superb  courage, 
and  when  he  died  the  victory  rested  with  him,  a  vic- 
tory whose  laurels  fifteen  centuries  have  not  withered. 
To  all  who  sought  to  dissuade  him  he  had  one  reply. 
"Our  all  is  at  stake,"  was  his  answer.  Time  has 
proved  that  he  was  right,  and  Christendom  has  been 
and  is  as  much  indebted  to  him  as  to  Augustine  or 
Martin  Luther.    I  am  not  sure  but  more. 

For  the  controversy  in  which  he  was  the  most  con- 
spicuous figure  concerned  a  theme  more  vital  and  fun- 
damental than  those  which  engaged  the  attention  of 
later  theologians.  Augustine  grappled  with  the  doc- 
trine of  sin  and  grace;  Anselm  pondered  the  nature 
and  the  necessity  of  atonement;  Luther  emphasized 
justification  by  faith;  Calvin  made  prominent  and 
luminous  the  sovereignty  of  God ;  Wesley  made  regen- 
eration a  conscious  experience  of  saving  grace. 

Athanasius  is  properly  called  the  father  of  theology, 
because  the  one  theme  to  which  he  devoted  his  extraor- 
dinary powers  was  the  Deity  of  Jesus  Christ,  which 
he  vindicated  by  the  most  luminous  exposition  of 
Scripture,  and  the  keenest  philosophical  argumenta- 
tion. Not  that  he  created  the  faith,  but  he  vindicated 
it  so  triumphantly  that  it  has  never  been  seriously 
assailed  since.  It  is  sometimes  said  that  in  theology 
nothing  is  ever  settled.  But  some  things  are  settled, 
and  have  been  settled  for  many  centuries.  There  is 
no   church   anywhere  which   would   not  be   instantly 

172 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

and  universally  repudiated  as  entitled  to  the  name 
of  Christian  if  it  should  deny  the  unity  of  the  person- 
ality of  God.  And  there  never  has  been  a  period  when 
the  overwhelming  majority  of  Christian  believers  has 
not  with  equal  emphasis  repudiated  any  estimate  of 
Jesus  Christ  which  made  Him  less  than  God  mani- 
fested in  the  flesh.  The  Greek  Church,  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church,  Protestantism  in  all  its  great  divi- 
sions, Lutheran  and  Reformed,  all  occupy  the  same 
ground  here.  They  insist  with  Athanasius  that  not 
only  is  God  revealed  in  Jesus  Christ,  but  that  God 
is  incarnate  in  Him.  It  has  often  been  flippantly  said 
that  the  Nicene  theologians  fought  over  a  single  letter. 
Yes,  they  did:  but  the  presence  or  absence  of  that 
single  letter  carried  in  it  the  tremendous  difference 
between  Christ  as  a  creature  and  Christ  as  God.  The 
presence  of  that  letter  affirmed  His  likeness  to  God, 
which  is  true  of  every  man;  the  absence  of  that  letter 
affirmed  Christ's  identity  with  God,  which  is  true  of 
no  creature.  That  was  the  heart  of  the  great  con- 
troversy. In  the  course  of  it  many  things  were  said 
which  have  not  commanded  acceptance,  and  phrases 
were  put  into  creeds  which  later  confessions  have 
omitted  as  unauthorized;  but  that  Christ,  in  the  in- 
divisible unity  of  His  person  was,  and  forever  remains, 
true  God  and  true  man,  has  been  and  remains  the 
clear,  explicit  and  unwavering  confession  of  the  Chris- 
tian church. 

The  mystery  of  the  incarnation  still  remains,  and 
no  age  has  been  more  prolific  of  earnest  thought  upon 
it  than  our  own ;  but  the  fact  of  the  incarnation  has 
not  been  a  question  of  internal  doubt  or  discussion 

173 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

since  Athanasius  conducted  the  argument  to  its  close. 
I  know  of  no  modern  heresy  on  this  theme  which 
was  not  suggested  during  the  century  in  which 
he  Hved,  and  which  was  not  of  intellectual  athletes, 
and  no  controversy  was  ever  conducted  to  so  speedy 
and  satisfactory  an  issue,  and  the  men  who,  in  modern 
times,  have  challenged  the  faith  of  the  church  in 
Christ  as  God  incarnate,  have  only  reproduced  the 
sophistries  which  Athanasius  exposed  and  riddled. 
Of  many  things  it  has  been  said  that  they  are  the 
articles  of  a  standing  or  falling  church.  There  is  but 
one  such  article.  Christ  has  told  us  what  it  is,  when 
He  told  Peter,  who  had  just  confessed  Him  to  be  the 
Son  of  the  living  God,  that  upon  this  rock  He  would 
build  His  church,  eternally  secure  against  the  most 
violent  assault. 

The  incarnation  is  the  bedrock  of  our  Christian 
theology,  and  here  we  can  permit  no  hesitant  con- 
fession on  the  part  of  those  who  claim  to  represent 
the  Christian  faith.  Our  all  is  at  stake  at  this  point. 
With  the  incarnation  we  have  everything.  Without 
the  incarnation  everything  goes  out  into  the  night  of 
uncertainty.  We  may  still  be  theists  and  believe  in 
God;  but  we  cannot  be  Christians,  in  any  true  and 
deep  sense,  when  Christ  loses  His  eternal  Divine  dig- 
nity. The  incarnation  is  not  merely  one  doctrine 
among  many.  It  is  the  central  and  creative  concep- 
tion of  the  Gospel.  "What  think  ye  of  Christ?"  is  the 
question  which  goes  to  the  very  roots  of  Christianity. 
The  answer  to  that  question  determines  the  answer  to 
every  other  question. 


174 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

The  Incarnation  and  Sin. 

We  are  born  sinners,  it  is  said.  We  are  tainted 
before  birth.  We  start  with  a  corrupt  nature.  Are 
we  born  sinners,  then,  in  the  same  sense  in  which  we 
are  born  with  blue  and  brown  eyes,  with  a  fair  or  a 
dark  skin?  Is  sin  an  invokmtary  twist  in  our  moral 
constitution?  If  that  be  true,  then  my  moral  deform- 
ity is  no  more  reprehensible  than  my  physical  deform- 
ity. Physical  deformity  may  be  repulsive,  but  you  do 
not  punish  men  for  it.  You  pity  them.  And  it  must 
follow  that  moral  deformity  may  be  repulsive ;  but  if  it 
be  con-natural,  hereditary,  ingrained,  involuntary, 
God  ought  not  to  punish  me  for  it.  He  should  pity 
me.  Not  one  of  us  can  be  held  responsible  for  a  cor- 
ruption in  which  the  first  cell  from  which  we  sprang 
was  steeped. 

Now%  then,  what  has  the  Incarnation  to  say  to  all 
this?  Christ  had  a  body,  with  all  its  constitutional 
appetites  and  instincts ;  but  it  never  became  the  occa- 
sion of  sin  to  Him.  And  so  we  conclude  that  sin  is 
not  to  be  explained  by  the  fact  that  we  have  bodies. 
Again,  Christ  shared  with  us  all  the  limitations  of  our 
physical,  mental  and  moral  nature.  He  grew  in  stat- 
ure, in  wisdom,  in  favor  with  God  and  man.  He 
learned  to  walk,  to  speak,  to  read  as  we  do.  His 
understanding  developed.  He  advanced  in  piety.  But 
He  never  sinned.  There  were  no  moral  mistakes  or 
blunders  in  His  life.  And  so  we  conclude  that  sin  is 
not  to  be  explained  by  the  fact  that  we  are  limited  in 
our  powers.  In  our  limitation  we  may  be,  and  are 
bound,  to  pursue  our  integrity,  even  as  He  did.     All 

175 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

that  comes  to  us  by  ancestry  and  environment  came  to 
Christ.  If  original  sin  is  our  guilt  by  imputation  of 
Adam's  apostasy,  or  if  our  nature  is  morally  corrupt 
by  ancestral  heritage,  these  things  must  be  as  true  of 
Christ  as  they  are  of  us.  You  remind  me  that  Christ 
was  miraculously  begotten  and  born,  that  He  had  no 
human  father.  What  difference  does  that  make? 
Joseph  was  not,  it  is  true.  His  father;  but  Mary's 
father  was  His  grandfather,  and  from  His  grandfather 
on  to  Adam  His  lineage,  paternal  and  maternal,  was 
exactly  what  ours  is.  He  had  a  human  mother.  He 
was  not  created ;  He  was  born.  He  was  born  of  Mary's 
bone,  and  blood  of  her  blood,  and  Mary  was  a  sinner. 
Whatever  moral  corruption  flows  through  ancestral 
lines,  it  submerged  Him  as  it  submerges  us.  His 
ancestral  heritage  was  neither  more  nor  less  than 
yours  and  mine.  His  share  in  original  sin,  as  deter- 
mined by  descent,  was  identical  with  our  own.  His 
environment  was  that  of  a  country  town,  whose  repu- 
tation was  unsavory.  They  were  not  pure  streets  on 
which  He  walked.  They  were  not  pure  schools  which 
He  attended.  They  were  not  pure  men  with  whom 
He  came  in  contact.  It  was  a  wicked  world  in  which 
He  grew  up.  But  He  was  sinless  from  the  start,  and 
all  the  way  through.  Whatever  came  to  Him  by  way 
of  heritage,  did  not  crystallize  into  sin.  He  was  the 
holy  child  at  birth  and  before.  Whatever  there  was 
unfavorable  in  His  circumstances  did  not  surprise  Him 
into  sin.  And  so  we  conclude  that  men  are  not  sinners 
because  they  are  born  so,  nor  because  of  their  un- 
favorable environment.  Sin  is  not  a  matter  of  either 
inheritance  or  circumstance. 

176 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

Mark,  I  do  not  say  that  men  cannot  be  born  sin- 
ners. The  beginnings  of  moral  hfe  are  beyond  our 
conscious  location.  But  it  is  one  thing  to  say  that 
sin  may  be  present  at  birth,  or  even  before,  and  quite 
another  thing  to  say  that  sin  is  due  to  birth.  It  is 
one  thing  to  say  that  I  sinned  before  I  can  now  re- 
member, and  a  very  different  thing  to  say  that  I  was 
the  passive  victim  of  the  first  stirring  of  sin.  The 
first  is  true,  the  second  is  false  and  blasphemous. 
Sin  was  my  voluntary  action,  no  matter  when  it  first 
appeared.  It  was  I  who  sinned,  not  somebody  or 
something  in  me.  Christ  was  born,  and  born  as  we 
are.  But  He  never  knew  sin.  And  so  I  conclude  that 
birth  makes  no  man  a  sinner.  Sin  is  always  volun- 
tary, spiritual,  personal.  It  is  in  the  wall,  and  nowhere 
else.  It  is  not  in  the  blood,  nor  in  any  law  of  trans- 
mission. In  a  word,  sin  is  not  a  constituent  element 
in  human  nature.  It  was  not  so  at  the  beginning,  and 
it  is  not  so  now.  Sin  is  the  wilful  perversion  of  human 
nature.  Adam  wilfully  corrupted  his  own  nature, 
and  every  one  of  us  has  done  the  same  thing. 

The  clear  judgment  of  every  honest  conscience  is 
that  every  man  must  bear  the  guilt  and  the  shame  of 
his  own  sin,  for  which  neither  his  father  nor  his  grand- 
father, nor  Adam  can  be  blamed.  If  Christ  was  a  true 
man,  sin  cannot  be  any  man's  inevitable  necessity.  It 
can  only  be  the  guilt  of  his  own  will.  Coleridge  w^as 
right  when  he  said  that  original  sin  is  the  only  sin  there 
is ;  that  is,  sin  is  sin,  involving  culpability  and  guilt, 
only,  when  it  is  original,  having  its  sole  cause  in  the 
individual  sinner.  It  cannot  be  derivative,  secondary, 
transferable.     Its  ruinous  effects  may  be  continuous. 

177 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

It  may  weave  snares  and  dig  pitfalls.  It  may  make  a 
life  of  virtue  so  hard  that  effective  resistance  may  be 
hopeless.  The  consequences  of  sin  may  constitute  a 
calamitous  heritage,  crushing  the  soul  at  the  very  be- 
ginning of  its  moral  career.  But  so  far  as  this  is 
true,  no  man  can  be  regarded  as  responsible  for  it. 
He  is  responsible  only  for  the  voluntary  consent  of 
his  will  in  his  moral  bondage.  There,  in  the  will,  and 
there  alone,  is  the  seat  of  sin.  Kant  said  a  good  will 
is  the  only  good  there  is.  And  we  may  add  that  a  bad 
will  is  the  only  bad  there  is.  Aside  from  that  there  is 
nothing  common  or  unclean.  The  only  bad  thing  in 
man,  the  only  bad  thing  in  devils,  is  the  bad  will. 
Nature  is  not  corrupt.  Human  nature  is  not  corrupt. 
Human  nature  is  good,  only  good,  supremely  and  eter- 
nally good.  Its  corruption  is  simply  its  perversion, 
and  its  perversion  is  its  facing  the  wrong  way.  Sin 
lies  in  the  wicked  use  which  we  make  of  our  bodies 
and  souls,  not  in  the  bodies  and  souls  as  such.  It  is 
simply  as  John  said,  lawlessness,  which  is  chargeable 
to  our  will  and  not  to  our  nature. 

I  know  how  deep  this  conclusion  cuts,  and  how 
weighty  its  corollaries.  But  the  true  humanity  of 
Christ,  which  was  absolutely  sinless  and  holy,  will  per- 
mit no  other  verdict  than  that  sin  is  not  due  to  the  body, 
nor  to  our  finiteness,  nor  to  any  ancestral  inheritance 
and  educational  environment.  That  holy  human  life 
proves  once  for  all  that  birth  does  not  involve  moral 
contamination,  and  that  human  nature  is  not,  and  can- 
not be,  corrupt  by  ancestral  inheritance.  Human 
nature,  whether  created  or  derived  through  birth,  is 
good ;  it  is  the  evil  will  which  is  the  source  of  sin,  and 

178 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

that  alone,  and  that  evil  will  it  is  which  turns  every 
good  gift  of  God  into  a  curse.  It  is  the  evil  will  which 
abuses  the  body,  and  the  collapse  of  the  body  under 
such  treatment  shows  the  ingrained  hostility  of  the 
body  to  such  abuse.  From  every  nerve-fiber  comes  up 
the  pathetic  appeal,  "Don't  use  me  that  way!"  It  is 
the  evil  which  makes  the  house  a  hell,  and  which  lets 
loose  the  hounds  of  war.  I  tell  you,  the  world,  in- 
cluding human  nature,  is  good.  Only  man  is  vile,  and 
he  is  vile  only  by  his  evil  will.  That  is,  the  only 
Satanic  and  damnable  thing  there  is  under  God's  stars, 
and  for  its  presence  in  him  every  man  is  chargeable 
with  the  sole  responsibility.  Jesus  Christ  was  not  a 
sinner,  and  I  have  no  business  to  be  what  He  was 
not.  It  is  a  most  startling  conclusion,  and  for  one, 
it  fills  me  with  keenest  moral  agony.  It  sw^eeps  away 
every  refuge  of  lies  into  which  I  would  run  to  excuse 
my  moral  lapses.  I  am  utterly  without  excuse,  and  so 
are  you.  My  captivity  is  of  my  own  surrender,  and  in 
that  surrender  I  have  become  helpless.  For  the  time 
to  put  on  the  brakes  and  reverse  the  lever  is  at  the 
first  signal  of  danger.  It  may  be  too  late  a  second 
after.  The  first  sin  does  the  mischief,  and  who  of  us 
can  locate  that?  It  lies  beyond  the  record  which 
memory  has  made.  It  is,  so  to  speak,  prehistoric.  But 
it  was  voluntary,  and  the  evil  will,  having  secured 
initial  movement,  laughs  us  to  scorn  ever  afterward. 


179 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

The  Only  Way  of  Escape. 

How  extremely  difficult  the  prevention  of  this  in- 
itial movement  of  the  will  to  sin  is  clear  from  the  fact 
that  in  Christ  only  was  it  prevented,  and  in  Him  it 
was  prevented  because  He  was  very  God  as  well  as 
very  man.  The  prevention  required  all  the  moral 
omnipotence  of  God,  the  energy  of  the  Divine  will  per- 
vading the  energy  of  the  human  will.  The  man  Christ 
Jesus  was  absolutely  sinless,  because  in  Him  the  full- 
ness of  the  Godhead  dwelt  bodily.  Perhaps  too  much 
has  been  made  of  the  argument  proving  the  Divinity 
of  Christ  by  His  sinlessness.  That  does  not  follow. 
Gabriel  is  sinless  and  holy,  but  he  is  not  God.  The 
true  order  of  thought  is  this  :  ''Christ  was  sinless.  But 
sinlessness  guarantees  absolute  veracity.  A  sinless  man 
cannot  deceive  himself,  and  will  not  deceive  others. 
Christ  was  sinless,  and  affirmed  His  equality  with 
God.  He  must,  therefore,  be  beUeved."  But  while 
the  sinlessness  of  Christ  is  not  the  immediate  proof  of 
His  Divinity,  we  have  this  fact,  that  of  all  the  sons  and 
daughters  of  Adam  the  only  sinless  man  is  the  man 
in  whom  God  is  Incarnate.  When  we  regard  Christ 
simply  as  sharing  our  human  nature  with  us.  His  sin- 
lessness compels  the  conclusion  that  sin  is  not  our 
voluntary  bondage;  that  we  sin  only  because  we  will, 
not  because  we  must.  But  when  we  consider  that 
Christ  shared  our  human  nature  with  us  under  pecul- 
iar conditions ;  that  His  human  nature  was  a  God- 
pervaded  and  God-controlled  human  nature,  and  that 
only  in  this  way  did  His  absolute  sinlessness  emerge, 
we  encounter  another  fact  of  tremendous  import,  the 

i8o 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

enormous  difficulty  of  initial  holy  self-direction.  Adam 
was  created  upright  and  pure,  a  full  grown  man,  acting 
deliberately  in  the  face  of  earnest  warning.  Yet,  at  the 
first  solicitation  to  disobedience,  he  sinned.  If  in  him 
holy  self-direction  proved  to  be  difficult,  must  it  not  be 
with  us,  born  in  the  helplessness  of  childhood,  with 
wills  already  self-perverted  when  moral  consciousness 
awakens?  The  mystery  of  the  will's  initial  self-direc- 
tion eludes  me.  It  is  the  darkest  of  abysses.  When 
and  how  I  perverted  my  nature  I  know  not.  But  I 
do  know  that  it  is  self-perverted  in  me  and  in  all 
men,  and  that  the  Man  in  whom  God  is  Incarnate  is 
the  only  exception  to  the  rule.  What  follows  ?  This : 
That  His  is  the  only  name  under  heaven  whereby  men 
must  be  saved.  Infancy  needs  Him  as  much  as  man- 
hood. His  redeeming  might  must  save  the  children 
as  well  as  the  adults.  He  is  the  only  gate  into  holi- 
ness and  heaven.  The  lips  which  never  opened  on 
earth  must  sing  the  song  of  Moses  and  the  Lamb. 
Without  Him  we  can  do  nothing.  As  the  branch  can 
live  only  in  the  vine,  so  must  we  be  engrafted  with 
Him  by  faith,  His  Divine  life  purifying  and  perfect- 
ing our  own.  We  must  live  in  Him,  and  He  must 
live  in  us.  And  we  cannot  begin  too  soon.  Better  in 
manhood  than  in  old  age;  better  in  youth  than  in 
manhood ;  better  in  childhood  than  in  youth ;  better  in 
infancy  than  in  childhood.  Let  us  bring  our  babes 
to  Jesus  Christ,  not  only  in  prayer  for  them,  but  with 
them,  in  such  sweet  and  winning  words  that  their  wills 
shall  own  His  early  sway.  Jesus  Christ  has  given  to 
the  world  the  secret  of  sinlessnes  and  moral  perfec- 
tion ;  a  greater  and  more  wondrous  secret  than  any  dis- 

i8i 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

covery  of  ancient  or  modern  times.  For,  give  us 
only  holy  men  and  women,  give  us  only  men  and 
women  who  habitually  and  earnestly  will  to  be  holy, 
and  this  planet  would  be  an  Eden. 

And  what  is  Christ's  secret?  It  is  the  spirit  of  Son- 
ship.  The  whole  of  Christ's  moral  life  was  com- 
pressed into  two  words,  **My  Father."  He  lived  as  a 
true  Son,  and  that  made  Him  every  man's  brother. 
That  made  Him  the  friend  of  publicans  and  sinners. 
That  made  Him  pray  for  His  murderers,  and  open 
heaven  to  the  thief  on  the  cross.  '^Liberty,  equality 
and  fraternity."  These  are  the  great  watchwords  of 
our  time.  Christianity,  we  say,  is  the  religion  of  uni- 
versal brotherhood.  And  we  say  true.  But  brother- 
hood is  the  fruit  of  Sonship.  They  are  brothers  who 
acknowledge  a  common  fatherhood.  The  spirit  of 
adoption  is  what  the  world  needs,  and  it  is  the  pe- 
culiar gift  of  Christ  to  men.  By  faith  in  Him  we  be- 
come the  children  of  God.  Here  is  the  secret  of  vic- 
tory over  sin.  Christ's  life  was  absolutely  sinless,  be- 
cause it  was  absolutely  filial.  Let  us  live  as  did  He. 
Let  us  live  and  toil  and  sufifer  as  the  dear  children 
of  God.  That  is  the  narrow  and  blessed  way  which 
leadeth  unto  life  eternal. 


Revolutionary  Demands  of  Socialism. 

Sociology  and  socialism  are  two  very  different 
things.  Sociology  is  the  science  of  society,  and  as  such 
it  deals  with  facts,  just  as  botany  deals  with  plants 
and  astronomy  with  the  stars.     But  socialism   cares 

182 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

nothing  for  the  stern  facts  which  face  iis,  and  jauntily 
informs  us  that  facts  are  not  of  much  account,  and 
that  men  can  make  any  society  they  choose.  Social- 
ism recognizes  no  law  except  the  will  of  the  majority, 
and  practically  only  the  will  of  the  fourth  estate,  the 
proletariat,  the  men  who  have  nothing  and  need  every- 
thing, and  therefore  ought  to  claim  everything.  My 
own  careful  studies  convince  me  that  Dr.  Robert 
Flint  is  not  far  out  of  the  way  when  he  says  that 
socialism  fights  against  industrial  liberty,  and  advo- 
cates the  regime  of  industrial  slavery,  when  ''the  peo- 
ple" shall  appropriate  all  the  products  of  labor  and 
seize  all  the  land  and  all  the  machinery  of  industry, 
and  parcel  out  to  every  man  the  work  which  he  may 
and  must  do,  and  the  wages  he  is  to  receive.  It  is  the 
old  fight  whether  a  man  owns  himself  or  whether  the 
State  owns  him.  Christianity  and  common  sense  teach 
that,  under  God,  every  man  owns  himself,  and  that 
law  is  the  reasonable  regulation  of  liberty,  not  its  sup- 
pression. There  are  some  who  talk  of  Christian  social- 
ism ;  but  you  might  as  well  talk  of  a  round  square  or 
a  hot  iceberg.  Socialism  is  not  Christian,  and  Christi- 
anity is  not  socialistic.  Christianity  is  the  religion  of 
individual  liberty  and  of  free  co-operation,  secured  in 
Christ,  and  regulated  by  the  law  of  Christ. 

The  demands  of  socialism  are  revolutionary.  While 
SociaHsts  do  not  agree  in  their  definition,  there  are 
certain  economic  doctrines  which  they  maintain  in 
concert,  and  advocate  with  ardor,  creating  widespread 
unrest  and  stimulating  hopes  which  are  doomed  to 
bitter  disappointment.  For  no  rage  of  multitudes  can 
for  a  moment  annul  or  mitigate  the  laws  which  God 

183 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

has  incorporated  in  nature  and  in  the  soul  of  man. 
There  are  three  main  demands  which  sociaHsts  make, 
and  I  very  much  mistake  if  those  who  hear  me  do  not 
agree  with  me,  that  in  securing  them  civiHzation  would 
go  down  in  chaos  and  night.  The  three  great  assump- 
tions which  characterize  consistent  socialism  are,  that 
labor  is  the  sole  constituent  of  value,  that  private 
property  in  land  is  a  crime,  and  that  the  State  should 
own  and  control  all  the  machinery  of  industry. 

Is  labor  the  sole  element  in  value?  It  will  occur 
at  once,  to  one  who  soberly  thinks  about  the  matter, 
that  labor  must  have  something  to  work  on.  Labor 
cannot  create  the  materials  which  it  handles.  It  will 
do  a  man  no  good  to  saw  the  air  with  his  arms  ten 
hours  a  day,  and  then  claim  that  because  he  has 
worked  very  hard,  he  ought  to  be  liberally  paid. 
Labor  alone  produces  nothing.  It  is  a  factor  in  wealth, 
and  a  very  important  factor.  Nature  provides  the  ma- 
terials, without  which  labor  could  produce  no  wealth. 
Labor  must  not  only  have  something  to  work  on,  but 
something  to  work  with.  It  must  have  tools,  be  it  a 
hammer,  or  a  saw,  or  a  shovel,  or  a  printing  machine, 
or  the  plant  of  a  factory.  It  may  be  said  that  all  this 
is  coagulated  labor.  Very  well,  but  it  is  coagulated 
labor  which  neither  the  individual  laborer  nor  his 
class  has  produced,  and  it  is  generously  placed  at  his 
disposal.  He  reaps  where  discoverers  and  inventors 
have  sown.  There  is  possible  wealth  in  his  productive 
work,  because  some  men  worked  with  their  heads  more 
than  with  their  hands, — ^because  they  invented  the  loco- 
motive, and  planned  the  steamships,  and  brought  the 
instruments  of  industry  to  their  present  state.     Labor 

184 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

would  be  helpless  without  the  coagulated  brain  of  the 
world,  which  has  had  so  much  to  do  with  the  enormous 
increase  of  wealth.  The  man  who  turns  the  current 
on  or  off,  and  who  handles  the  lever,  has  at  his  com- 
mand millions  of  invested  capital,  not  one  dollar  of 
which  he  provided,  and  thousands  of  skilled  workers, 
without  whom  his  own  work  would  be  utterly  unpro- 
ductive. In  all  the  higher  grades  of  industry  it  is 
the  machinery  which  gives  value  to  the  product,  not 
the  man  who  handles  the  machine.  But  was  not  the 
machine  made  by  somebody,  and  ought  not  the  men 
who  made  the  machine  own  it  and  get  all  the  profit 
out  of  it?  But  who  made  the  machine?  Can  every 
man  who  uses  a  hammer  and  turns  a  lathe  make  a  ma- 
chine? Must  you  not  have  the  inventor,  and  the 
draughtsman,  and  the  superintendent  of  construction? 
These  men,  perhaps,  work  very  little  with  their  hands, 
but  they  work  with  their  heads ;  and  in  a  world  where 
heads  are  so  necessary  they  have  to  be  generously 
paid  for.  Labor  must  not  only  have  something  to 
work  on,  and  to  work  with,  but  it  must  be  under  in- 
telligent direction. 

Collectivism  is  the  doctrine  that  the  State  should 
own  all  the  instruments  of  production,  assigning  to 
each  man  his  w^ork,  and  determining  his  wages.  The 
mills,  the  railways,  the  merchant  marine,  the  printing 
establishments  of  the  country  are  to  be  owned  and  run 
by  the  State.  Society  must  be  reduced  to  one  huge 
political  machine,  where  every  man  holds  an  office  and 
wears  a  uniform.  How  this  is  to  be  brought  about 
we  are  not  told.  This  is  apparently  a  small  matter  in 
the  judgment  of  these  prophets  and  reformers.     In- 

i8s 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

dividual  proprietors  are  not  likely  to  tumble  over  each 
other  in  order  to  make  the  State  sole  owner ;  and  the 
State  could  not  buy  them  out  without  creating  a  debt, 
the  interest  on  which  would  bankrupt  any  nation;  and 
the  only  method  would  be  to  confiscate  all  private  prop- 
erty. This  is  exactly  what  socialists  contend  must  be 
done;  and  so  their  millennium  must  be  ushered  in  by 
one  great  act  of  legalized  theft !  It  passes  my  compre- 
hension that  such  an  act  of  absolute  tyranny  should  be 
heralded  as  the  gospel  of  industrial  emancipation. 
And  then,  when  it  has  been  accomplished,  every  man 
must  do  only  what  the  State  permits  him  to  do.  His 
personal  preferences  are  to  count  for  nothing.  A  com- 
mittee must  pass  upon  his  application ;  and  woe  to  him 
if  he  has  no  pull.  Parents  are  to  have  no  rights  over 
their  children;  the  State  is  to  take  charge  of  them. 
No  books  are  to  be  printed,  no  papers  are  to  be  circu- 
lated, unless  the  committee  approve.  Churches,  of 
course,  must  vanish,  for  the  State  cannot  permit  any 
independent  voluntary  associations.  Our  religion  will 
be  determined  by  popular  elections,  just  as  our  bread 
and  butter  would  be.  But,  then,  suppose  at  some  elec- 
tion all  this  collectivism  should  be  overthrown — what 
then  ?  For  history  teaches  us  that  no  flood  of  tyranny 
can  quench  the  fires  of  liberty ;  and  collectivism  is  abso- 
lute, grinding,  unqualified  tyranny.  That  is  the  rock 
upon  which  socialism  is  doomed  to  go  to  pieces.  For 
one  I  do  not  dread  its  triumph.  It  is  too  late  in  the 
day  to  clip  the  wings  of  freedom.  Men  are  bound  to  be 
free — all  men,  those  at  the  bottom  and  those  at  the  top ; 
and  no  system  has  any  hope  of  success  which  does  not 
leave  the   individual  perfectly  untrammeled,   so  long 

i86 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

as  he  does  not  interfere  with  the  freedom  of  others 
Our  bodies  and  our  souls,  under  God,  are  our  own, 
and  we  will  let  the  lash  come  upon  neither.  Our  homes 
are  our  own,  and  we  will  permit  no  king  to  rob  us  of 
them.  Our  industries  and  avocations  are  our  own, 
and  we  will  not  let  others  choose  them  for  us,  or  in- 
terfere with  our  management  of  them.  Our  churches 
are  our  own,  and  we  will  let  no  State  cabal  invade 
them.  Our  thoughts  are  our  own,  and  we  will  speak 
or  publish  them  without  asking  any  man's  leave.  We 
make  no  idle  boasts ;  but  the  world  is  as  ready  to-day 
to  do  earnest  battle  for  personal  freedom  as  it  ever 
was ;  yea,  an  hundredfold  more  so.  And  in  no  land 
under  the  stars  is  slavery  of  any  kind  less  likely  to  come 
than  on  the  free  soil  of  the  American  Republic,  with 
its  double  baptism  of  blood  upon  its  broad  acres. 
Youngest  of  nations,  our  flag  is  the  oldest  of  national 
banners.  And  so  long  as  the  Stars  and  the  Stripes 
are  flung  to  the  breeze,  this  republic  will  be  a  nation 
of  freemen,  jealous  of  liberty  in  thought  and  speech, 
in  home,  and  shop,  and  temples  of  prayer. 


The  Sacredness  of  the  Sabbath. 

For  more  than  eighteen  hundred  years  the  influence 
of  the  weekly  Sabbath  has  been  elevating  and  refining. 
It  has  brought  rest  to  body  and  mind.  It  has  deepened 
and  strengthened  the  domestic  affections.  It  has  been 
the  friend  of  the  poor.  It  has  eased  the  grinding  yoke 
of  toil.  It  has  ennobled  men  by  reminding  them  of 
their  divine  and  eternal  dignity.  It  was  made  for  man 
as  man,  and  therefore  in  the  interests  of  humanity  it 

187 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

should  be  jealously  maintained.  I  am  not  willing  that 
it  should  be  surrendered  to  a  traffic  which  fills  our 
jails,  and  almshouses,  and  insane  asylums.  Why 
should  drunkenness  be  permitted  to  run  riot  on  the  one 
day  when  our  streets  should  be  radiant  with  peace? 
I  am  not  urging  the  Divine  authority  for  the  Day  of 
Rest.  God  has  commanded  us  to  keep  holy  one  day 
in  seven,  and  every  man  who  believes  in  the  God  of  the 
Bible  must  reverence  His  Sabbath.  But  I  do  not  lay 
emphasis  on  this.  For,  however  true  this  may  be, 
the  State  is  prohibited  from  legislating  on  religion, 
and,  by  implication,  it  is  prohibited  from  legislating 
upon  religious  grounds.  Much  as  I  prize  the  Sab- 
bath, I  do  not  want  the  State  to  enforce  its  recog- 
nition, because  God  has  instituted  it.  But  I  do  sub- 
mit that  there  are  two  considerations  which  make 
it  imperative  upon  the  State  to  maintain  and  guard  the 
day  of  rest — its  ancient  and  fundamental  rank  among 
our  social  inheritances,  and  the  universally  beneficent 
results  of  its  observance.  These  entitle  it  to  the  re- 
spectful and  reverent  consideration  of  every  true  pa- 
triot and  lover  of  his  race.  Ancient  institutions  should 
not  be  ruthlessly  disturbed.  The  lines  within  which 
civilization  has  moved  for  thousands  of  years  are 
presumably  lines  wisely  laid.  They  have  survived 
because  of  their  fitness.  The  origin  of  the  Day  of 
Rest  is  lost  in  the  depths  of  antiquity.  Its  birth  cannot 
be  located,  either  geographically  or  chronologically. 
It  was  already  ancient  when  Moses  wrote  the  Deca- 
logue, as  the  very  phrase,  "Remember  the  Sabbath 
day,"  implies;  and  the  bricks  of  Mesopotamia  tell  the 
same  story.     It  sprang  up,  no  one  can  tell  how,  any 

1 88 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

more  than  the  origin  of  the  monogamic  family  can  be 
located.  The  Sabbath  is  as  venerable  as  the  home; 
and  it  has  shared  with  the  home,  not  only  in  antiquity, 
but  in  fundamental  rank.  Wherever  the  Christian 
home  has  become  established  the  Christian  Day  of 
Rest  has  become  naturalized.  It  has  appeared  every- 
where as  an  inseparable  feature  of  the  civilization 
which  Christianity  has  created.  The  State  does  not 
emphasize  the  Divine  origin  of  the  home.  It  simply 
guards  the  family  as  an  ancient  and  fundamental  in- 
stitution, as  one  of  the  great  and  valued  heritages  of 
the  past.  For  the  same  reason  should  the  State  guard 
the  Day  of  Rest. 

We  are  bound,  as  sober  and  wise  men,  to  resist  any 
movement  which  cuts  the  threads  by  which  we  are 
related  to  all  that  is  best  and  richest  in  the  past.  The 
Sabbath  stands  as  one  of  the  few  great  institutions 
which  have  maintained  their  places  amid  wars  and 
tumults,  amid  the  birth,  decay  and  death  of  great  and 
powerful  empires.  It  is  vandalism  of  the  most  reck- 
less type  which  is  disposed  to  eliminate  it  from  the 
public  life  of  our  time.  We  condemn  the  hands  which 
mar  the  monuments  of  the  Middle  Ages,  which  have 
defaced  the  abbeys  and  the  cathedrals;  what  shall  we 
say  of  those  who  would  trample  the  home  in  the  mire, 
or  for  those  who  clamor  for  the  abolition  of  the  Day 
of  Rest,  demanding  their  right  to  change  it  into  a 
wild  and  reckless  revelry?  Ancient  institutions  which 
show  no  sign  of  decadence,  which  maintain  their  vi- 
tality through  successive  generations  and  centuries, 
are  entitled  to  reverent  consideration,  and  are  not 
to  be  surrendered  at  the  clamor  of  a  clique. 

189 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

Upon  two  things  there  should  be  no  compromise: 
First,  whatever  changes  are  made  in  Sunday  legisla- 
tion should  be  made  in  terms  of  universal  enactment. 
Second,  whatever  changes  are  made  in  Sunday  legisla- 
tion should  be  made  in  the  interests  of  the  mainte- 
nance, by  law,  of  Sunday  as  the  weekly  Day  of  Rest. 
The  first  is  demanded  by  the  political  autonomy  of  the 
State ;  the  second  is  demanded  because  of  the  antiquity 
and  beneficent  influence  of  the  Christian  Sabbath  as 
a  social  institution.  And  both  are  demanded  in  the 
interests  of  public  peace  and  prosperity.  For  liberty, 
without  the  safeguards  of  ancient  and  general  law, 
is  the  corruption  and  death  of  all  social  order.  And 
in  the  coming  election  (October,  1895),  inasmuch  as 
the  platforms  of  both  parties  can  easily  be  manipulated 
to  mean  anything  and  everything,  and  nothing  in  par- 
ticular, let  us  remember  that  laws  are  made  in  this 
State  by  members  of  the  Assembly  and  of  the  Senate. 
Party  affiliations  should  not  bind  us.  They  should 
snap  as  threads  of  tow  when  a  question  of  general 
public  morality  confronts  us;  and  the  Day  of  Rest  is 
one  of  the  last  things  to  be  made  the  football  of  polit- 
ical contention.  Vote  for  the  man  whom  you  know 
will  maintain  the  decent  observance  of  Sunday.  If  he 
belongs  to  your  party,  vote  for  him.  If  he  belongs  to 
the  other  party  while  your  own  party  candidate  would 
betray  you,  then  vote  for  the  other  party,  however 
much  you  may  hate  it.  And  if  such  a  man  is  on 
neither  party  ticket,  then  vote  for  the  other  party,  that 
your  own  party  may  be  defeated  and  rebuked  and  dis- 
grace fastened  upon  the  other  party.  For  the  main- 
tenance of  the  Day  of  Rest  outranks  the  tariff,  the 

190 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

silver  question,  the  negro  problem,  the  jMonroe  doc- 
trine. It  fundamentally  affects  our  public  morality, 
which  we  cannot  afford  to  lower.  Whatever  the  issue, 
I  shall  not  despair;  but  I  have  spoken  this  plain  and 
earnest  word  because  I  dare  not  be  silent  in  such  a 
crisis. 


Two  Forms  of  Criticism. 

It  is  unfortunate  that  the  words  ''lower"  and 
"higher"  have  crept  into  use.  Many  regard  them  as 
invidious,  and  use  them  under  protest.  They  are  not 
properly  descriptive.  It  were  better  if  the  first  de- 
partment were  known  as  "textual"  criticism,  which 
would  indicate  the  exact  nature  of  the  task  set  before 
it.  And  the  second  department  should  be  divided  into 
literary  and  historical  criticism ;  Hterary  criticism  deal- 
ing with  the  analysis  of  the  books,  and  with  the  in- 
ternal evidences  indicating  their  structure,  authorship 
and  time  of  appearance;  historical  criticism  dealing 
with  the  external  evidences  supplied  by  various  quota- 
tions and  references  to  contemporary  literature,  in- 
scriptions, monuments  and  the  like. 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  so  many  of  the  Biblical 
critics  are  wanting  in  exact  and  comprehensive  knowl- 
edge. They  look  with  some  disdain  upon  the  students 
of  archaeology,  and  they  minimize  the  established  re- 
sults. But  problems  of  authenticity  and  of  integrity 
cannot  be  determined  by  literary  analysis  alone.  The 
problem  is  pre-eminently  a  historical  one,  and  histori- 
cal evidence  alone  can  solve  it.  Literary  criticism 
cannot  possibly  determine  by  whom  a  book  w^as  writ- 

191 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

ten,  and  if  it  venture  to  cast  doubt  upon  the  clear  and 
unequivocal  statements  in  the  book  itself,  denying  them 
altogether,  or  reducing  them  to  a  minimum,  it  simply 
buries  us  in  hopeless  bewilderment.  Then  it  is  said 
that  the  Pentateuch  does  not  claim  to  have  been  writ- 
ten by  Moses.  But  the  critics  also  grant  that  some 
things  were  written  by  him.  And  the  frequent  recur- 
rence of  the  phrase,  "The  Lord  said  unto  Moses," 
which  runs  like  an  unbroken  thread  through  the  Le- 
vitical  legislation,  could  have  been  warranted  only  be- 
cause the  tradition  assumed  authoritative  form  in  his 
day.  To  discredit  that  testimony  is  to  make  the  prob- 
lem hopeless  of  solution.  When  it  is  denied  that  the 
last  twenty-seven  chapters  of  Isaiah  are  from  the  pen 
of  that  prophet,  the  fact  that  the  book  of  Isaiah  has 
always  contained  them  must  be  allowed  to  have  some 
weight,  and  the  most  positive  evidence  must  be  pro- 
duced that  the  natural  and  inevitable  influence  of  a 
single  authorship  is  not  only  unwarranted,  but  con- 
tradicted by  the  plainest  facts.  It  is  a  suspicious  fact 
that  they  who  deny  the  Mosaic  authorship  of  the  Pen- 
tateuch, and  who  declare  Isaiah  to  be  composite,  can 
do  no  better  than  to  assign  it  to  some  great  unknown, 
and  cannot  even  fix  the  time  when  he  lived.  The  re- 
sult only  gives  us  an  indefinite  number  of  Elohists, 
and  Jahvists,  and  Deuteronomists,  and  Redactors, 
shadowy  and  unsubstantial  figures,  whose  number 
even  cannot  be  determined.  The  once  famous  Frag- 
mentary Hypothesis  broke  down  under  the  weight  of 
its  arbitrary  assumption,  and  it  begins  to  look  as  if 
the  present  theory  would  be  soon  involved  in  the 
same  fate.    The  evident  unity  of  the  books  contradicts 

192 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

the  theory  of  mechanical  composite  structure.  The 
scissoring  and  patching  becomes  bewildering.  At  all 
events,  the  result  leaves  us  in  a  hopeless  muddle,  and 
when  that  is  the  only  thing  settled  the  proposed  solu- 
tion is  self-condemned. 

It  has  become  the  fashion  to  cast  discredit  upon  tra- 
dition. But  a  traditional  solution  is  better  than  one 
which  leaves  everything  hanging  in  the  air,  which  be- 
gins with  guesses  and  ends  in  fog.  The  criticism  of 
tradition  is  legitimate.  It  may  be  exaggerated,  and  it 
may  be  false,  but  whether  tradition  is  exaggerated  or 
false  must  be  historically  determined.  Modern  criticism 
simply  assumes  that  tradition  is  not  a  competent  wit- 
ness. Its  voice  is  silenced.  That  is  arbitrary,  unscien- 
tific and  unhistorical.  Traditions  are  rarely,  if  ever, 
wholly  fictitious  and  legendary.  There  is  in  them  a  ker- 
nel of  historical  truth,  and  the  more  widely  traditions 
have  gained  currency  the  longer  they  have  held  their 
ground ;  challenged  or  unchallenged,  the  more  are  they 
entitled  to  respectful  treatment.  Thus,  it  is  only  by 
tradition  that  we  assign  the  first  three  gospels  to  the 
writers  with  whose  names  they  are  associated.  Judged 
simply  by  their  contents,  they  are  anonymous.  The  tra- 
ditional account  holds  its  ground  for  the  simple  reason 
that  it  cannot  be  discredited  by  equally  good  external 
evidence.  So  the  Pauline  epistles  have  the  Pauline 
signature  stamped  upon  and  into  them,  and  to  discredit 
their  Pauline  origin  demands  evidence  of  the  most  posi- 
tive and  overwhelming  character.  It  is  easy  to  deny 
authenticity  and  integrity,  but  the  denial  must  be 
made  good.  The  burden  of  proof  is  upon  him  who 
denies.     He  must  show  that  in  detail  and  as  a  whole 

7 


THE    CHRIST    OP   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

the  traflitional  view  is  false.  The  grounds  upon  which, 
for  example,  the  unity  of  Isaiah  is  denied  are  so  shad- 
owy that  they  cannot  be  said  to  nullify  the  evidence 
that  the  book,  so  far  as  we  know,  has  never  existed  in 
any  other  than  its  present  form,  and  has  always  been 
attributed  to  Isaiah.  The  Pentateuch  has  always  been 
credited  to  Moses,  and  Mosaic  authorship  is  stamped 
upon  every  one  of  its  parts,  while  not  a  particle  of  ex- 
ternal evidence  can  be  produced  against  the  universal 
tradition.  The  synagogue  is  not  infallible,  but  the 
synagogue,  from  the  first,  regarded  Moses  as  the  great 
author  of  the  Pentateuch,  so  that  from  the  time  of 
Ezra  down  this  tradition  is  the  only  one  invested  with 
evidential  authority.  The  tradition  will  hold  its 
ground,  and  ought  to  hold  its  ground,  until  the  critics 
do  something  more  than  substitute  queries  for  facts. 


The  Jews  as  Conservators. 

We  are  assured  that  no  harm  can  result  from  the 
collapse  of  traditional  views.  Canon  Driver  solemnly 
declares  that  critical  results  do  not  destroy  either  the 
authority  or  the  inspiration  of  the  Old  Testament. 
That  declaration  must  be  accepted  as  sincere.  Whole- 
sale charges  of  irreverence  and  of  infidelity  do  more 
harm  than  good.  They  are  not  true.  No  one  can  read 
what  many  of  the  higher  critics  have  written  without 
being  impressed  with  their  industry,  learning,  sincerity 
and  reverence.  But  it  must  also  be  said  that  in  many 
cases  judicial  temper  is  wanting.  They  deal  in  possi- 
bilities  and  probabilities.      They   approach   the   prob- 

194 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

lems  with  a  prejudice  against  the  traditional  view,  and 
with  a  depreciatory  estimate  of  historical  evidence. 
They  assume  that  unless  the  traditional  view  can  be 
proved,  it  must  be  regarded  as  false,  or  as  at  best  an 
unsupported  guess.  Silence  at  a  certain  point  is  con- 
strued as  evidence  to  the  contrary.  Thus  in  many 
cases,  there  is  a  break  in  the  testimony,  at  the  year  79, 
when  Jerusalem  was  destroyed  by  Titus ;  and  although 
at  that  period  the  tradition  is  definite  and  fixed,  the 
absence  beyond  that  period  of  positive  evidence  is  con- 
strued as  implying  ignorance  or  doubt.  But  there  is 
no  evidence  confirming  that  conclusion  ;  such  evidence 
as  there  is  is  all  in  favor  of  the  traditional  view,  so 
that  the  critical  logic  breaks  down  because  it  has  noth- 
ing whatever  upon  which  it  rests.  The  choice  must  be 
between  careful  sifting  of  tradition  and  agnosticism. 

Professor  Buhl  of  Leipzig  shows  a  most  commend- 
able temper  of  mind  when  he  frankly  concedes  that 
the  Jews  must  be  regarded  "as  the  authority  on  the 
question  of  the  Old  Testament  canon."  The  people 
of  Israel,  to  whom  the  Old  Testament  revelation  had 
been  intrusted,  and  whose  life  task  it  was  to  preserve 
it  uncorrupted,  are  in  fact  the  legitimate  and  compe- 
tent judges  when  it  has  to  be  decided  in  what  writings 
this  revelation  appears  in  purity  and  free  from  all  for- 
eign and  mortifying  elements.  That  we  are  no  longer 
in  a  position  fully  to  trace  out  the  principles  which 
led  the  scribes  to  their  determination  regarding  the 
canon,  and  that  those  principles  which  can  still  be  un- 
derstood are  in  many  cases  extremely  peculiar,  cannot 
l)e  regarded,  as  in  this  connection,  of  an\'  importance. 
For  it  is  not  with  the  views  of  the  scribes  that  we  have 

i95 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

to  do,  but  only  with  the  favor  shown  to  the  Scrip- 
tures and  their  circulation  among  the  people,  of  which 
the  decrees  of  the  rabbis  as  to  the  canon  are  simply  an 
echo.  The  spread  and  recognition  which  the  books 
had  won  in  the  genuinely  Jewish  community  is  the  ma- 
terial which  the  scribes  had  to  work  in  their  own  way ; 
but  how  they  succeeded  in  this  is  only  of  secondary 
interest,  while  the  firm  position  of  the  writings  among 
the  members  of  the  community  affords  the  special  guar- 
antee that  they  recognized  in  them  a  true  reflection  of 
their  spiritual  life,  and  that  those  writings,  therefore, 
must  be  accepted  by  us  as  the  canonical  means  of 
learning  *'to  know  that  life."  In  a  later  part  of  the 
discussion  Professor  Buhl  declares  that  the  frequent 
charges  of  serious  corruption  in  the  text  of  the  Old 
Testament  are  absolutely  without  foundation,  and  are 
discredited  by  the  high  reverence  with  which  the 
Scriptures  were  treated. 

It  is  refreshing  to  note  such  a  return  to  the  his- 
torical temper.  Its  cultivation  must  issue  in  the  modi- 
fication of  many  current  critical  judgments,  and  in  the 
withdrawal  of  not  a  few.  For  while  the  historical 
evidence  needs  to  be  historically  sifted,  it  cannot  be 
ignored,  especially  when  it  is  remembered  that  all  the 
historical  evidence  there  is  is  in  favor  of  the  traditional 
view.  And  that  traditional  view,  as  Buhl  states,  was 
not  created  and  imposed  by  the  scribes,  but  was  simply 
recorded  by  them,  as  the  sifted  result  of  ancient,  trans- 
mitted, national  conviction. 

There  is  one  fact  which  remains  fixed  and  historic- 
ally assured  in  the  bewildering  debate,  and  which  is  of 
supreme  and  decisive  importance  to  the  Christian  be- 

196 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

liever.  Canon  Driver  is  most  emphatic  in  the  state- 
ment that  the  same  canon  of  historical  criticism  which 
"authorizes  the  assumption  of  tradition  in  the  Old 
Testament  forbids  it  in  the  New,"  and  that  ''the  facts 
of  our  Lord's  life  on  which  the  fundamental  truths  of 
Christianity  depend  cannot  be  anything  else  than 
strictly  historical."  But  the  New  Testament,  and  even 
the  three  gospels  alone,  will  give  us  the  present  Old 
Testament  with  our  Lord's  indorsement  of  it  as  Scrip- 
ture. That  will  be  enough  for  the  plain  Christian. 
He  will  conclude  that  he  cannot  do  better  than  to  use 
his  Old  Testament,  as  Christ  used  it,  and  that  he  need 
not  hesitate  to  do  so. 

The  substantial  identity,  I  am  prepared  to  say,  prac- 
tically absolute  identity,  of  the  present  Hebrew  Old 
Testament  as  Christ  knew  it  is  one  of  the  clearest 
outstanding  facts  in  the  critical  controversy.  The  de- 
bate, for  the  most  part,  concerns  the  period  between 
Ezra,  450  B.  C,  to  Moses,  1491  B.  C,  a  little  over 
a  thousand  years,  whose  contemporaneous  memorials 
have  perished  in  the  ruthless  wars  of  the  captivities, 
and  in  the  destruction  of  the  temple  by  the  Roman 
soldiers.  But  it  is  equally  clear  that  long  before  the 
birth  of  Christ  the  present  books  of  the  Old  Testament 
were  regarded  as  Scriptures  and  inspired ;  were  read 
regularly  in  the  synagogues ;  were  classified  as  "Laws, 
Prophets  and  Psalms,"  bound  up  in  rolls  and  jealously 
guarded,  and  were  studied  with  a  veneration  border- 
ing upon  superstition.  The  evidence  is  ample,  massive 
and  overwhelming.  Soon  after  the  destruction  of  Jeru- 
salem the  learned  Jewish  rabbis  established  a  colony 
and  organized  a  famous  school  at  Jamnia,  which  con- 

197 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

tinued  in  existence  for  sixty  years ;  and  here,  soon 
after  the  year  70,  the  present  number  and  names  of 
the  books  of  the  Old  Testament  were  formally  and 
officially  promulgated.  The  list  names  twenty-four 
books,  and  includes  every  book  in  our  present  collec- 
tion; and  it  includes  only  these.  The  difference  be- 
tween our  list  of  thirty-nine  books  and  the  Hebrew 
list,  which  contains  only  twenty-four,  is  accounted  for 
by  the  fact  that  in  the  Hebrew  list  I  and  H  Samuel 
appear  as  one  book,  I  and  H  Kings  as  one  book,  I  and 
II  Chronicles  as  one  book,  Ezra  and  Nehemiah  as  one 
book,  and  the  twelve  minor  prophets  as  one  book.  The 
difference  is  purely  one  of  numerical  notation ;  the 
actual  contents  are  identical. 

Josephus,  writing  sixty  years  after  Christ's  death, 
about  the  year  90,  gives  the  number  and  the  classes  of 
the  Old  Testament  books,  and  speaks  of  them  as  long 
recognized  and  inspired.  The  passage  has  often  been 
quoted,  and  is  found  in  his  tract  against  Apion,  the 
eighth  chapter  of  the  first  book.  The  number  is  spoken 
of  as  twenty-two,  to  make  it  correspond  with  the  num- 
ber of  the  Hebrew  alphabet,  and  this  was  done  by  com- 
bining Ruth  with  Judges  and  Lamentations  with  Jere- 
miah. That  the  Old  Testament  of  Josephus  was  iden- 
tical with  our  own  is  evident  from  an  examination  of 
his  history  of  the  Jews,  which  draws  upon  all  these 
books  as  authoritative  sources  of  historical  informa- 
tion. Even  Jonah  is  embodied  in  the  story.  The  force 
of  the  testimony  of  Josephus  will  appear  when  it  is 
remembered  that  he  was  born  in  the  year  37,  only 
seven  years  after  the  death  of  Christ,  and  that  his  life 
covers  the  lives  of  the  apostles  Paul  and  John. 

198 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

Tes'iimony  of  Learned  Jews. 

We  can  go  back  fifty  years  beyond  Josephus.  Philo, 
a  learned  Jew,  writing  during  our  Lord's  life,  and  im- 
mediately after,  quotes  from  nearly  every  one  of  our 
present  books,  and  accords  them  inspired  authority. 
He  quotes  from  the  Pentateuch,  Joshua,  Judges,  Sam- 
uel, Kings,  Isaiah,  Jeremiah,  the  minor  prophets, 
Psalms,  Proverbs,  Job,  Ezra  and  Chronicles.  We  can 
go  back  200  years  beyond  Philo.  He  lived  and  taught 
at  Alexandria.  His  philosophy  was  a  mixture  of 
Old  Testament  theology  and  Greek  metaphysics. 
Alexandria  had  long  been  the  home  of  many  Jews, 
who  gathered  there  after  the  dispersion  occasioned 
by  the  first  destruction  of  Jerusalem  by  Nebuchad- 
nezzar, and  made  the  city  of  their  adoption  a  famous 
center  of  Jewish  learning  and  religion.  The  Jewish 
colony  had  at  an  early  day  become  Greek  in  speech, 
and  the  general  neglect  of  Hebrew  had  made  a  Greek 
translation  of  the  Old  Testament  necessary.  This 
was  begun  280  B.  C.,  and  finished  about  150  B.  C.; 
accepted  as  authoritative  at  least  200  years  before 
Philo.  Not  one  of  our  present  books  is  missing  in 
the  Septuagint,  though  several  others  were  inserted 
and  added,  which  were  under  the  name  of  Apocrypha, 
and  are  accepted  as  canonical  and  inspired  by  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church,  but  are  rejected  by  Protest- 
ants and  Jews.  Many  of  us  can  remember  these  books 
as  printed  and  bound  up  in  our  older  Bibles,  though 
occupying  a  separate   section. 

Consider  what  these  facts  mean.  Add  280  B.  C, 
when  the  Greek  translation  was  begun,  to  1897,  and 

199 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

we  have  2,177.  During  that  long  period  the  Old  Tes- 
tament has  been  what  it  is  now.  It  certainly  is  a 
modest  claim  that  these  books  in  the  Old  Testament 
must  have  been  known,  and  in  general  circulation, 
one  or  two  hundred  years  before  280  B.  C,  which 
brings  us  to  the  time  of  Ezra.  In  fact,  we  learn  from 
the  Proverbs  of  Jesus  the  son  of  Sirach,  that  in  the 
days  of  his  grandfather,  200  years  before  Christ,  the 
division  of  the  Old  Testament  into  ''the  law  of  Moses, 
the  prophets  and  the  Psalms"  was  already  known, 
and  in  familiar  use;  and  the  use  which  the  author 
himself  makes  of  these  books  proves  that  the  first  and 
second  parts  of  this  division  had  precisely  the  same 
contents  which  they  have  now.  The  verdict  of  sober 
scholarship  upon  this  point,  now  under  consideration, 
and  in  which  Kuenen,  Corvill  and  Cheyne  agree,  may 
be  stated  in  the  measured  words  of  Professor  Sanday : 
"The  canon  of  the  law  was  practically  complete  at 
the  time  of  the  promulgation  of  the  Pentateuch  by 
Ezra  and  Nehemiah,  in  the  year  444  B.  C,  and  that 
of  the  prophets  in  the  course  of  the  third  century 
before  Christ.  As  to  the  closing  of  the  third  group, 
there  is  perhaps  more  room  for  difference  of  opinion. 
A  common  view  is  that  the  recognition  of  these  books 
as  Scripture  would  be  no  later  than  100  B.  C.  All  the 
books  are  quoted  as  authoritative  in  recorded  sayings 
from  Hillel  onwards."  And  Hillel  died  four  years 
before  the  Christian  era — the  year  in  which  our  Lord 
was  born.  This  makes  it  incontrovertibly  clear  that 
the  Scripture  to  which  Christ  appealed  is  our  own 
Old  Testament.    That  nail  should  be  clinched. 

The  concession  of  Professor  Sanday  is  all  the  more 

200 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

impressive  because  he  concedes  the  documentary 
structure  of  the  Pentateuch,  the  post  exiHan  date  of 
its  middle  books,  locates  Deuteronomy  in  the  age  of 
Josiah,  places  many  of  the  Psalms  in  the  Maccabean 
time,  and  maintains  the  late  dates  of  Ruth  and  Daniel. 
But  he  cannot  resist  the  historical  evidence  that  a 
hundred  years  before  Christ  the  Old  Testament,  as 
we  nov;^  have  it,  was  universally  regarded  as  inspired 
Scripture.  And  when  it  is  remembered  how  jealously 
the  Jews,  200  years  before  Christ,  guarded  their 
sacred  writings,  and  what  superstitious  reverence  they 
paid  them,  what  recondite  meanings  Philo  found  in 
names  and  numbers,  we  must  be  permitted  to  believe ; 
and  we  cannot  resist  the  positive  conviction  that  those 
early  students  were  better  equipped  to  pass  judgment 
upon  questions  of  authorship  and  date  than  we  are. 
Their  emphatic  and  unanimous  verdict  is  at  least 
entitled  to  respect,  even  if  they  were  not  infallible. 
Between  Ezra  and  David  are  only  600  years,  and  be- 
tween Ezra  and  Moses  are  only  about  a  thousand 
years.  Between  us  and  David  are  three  thousand 
years,  between  us  and  Moses  are  thirty-four  hundred 
years,  and  the  period  is  broken  for  us  by  the  destruc- 
tion of  Jerusalem  under  Titus.  But  in  the  midst  of 
that  tumult  stands  the  Old  Testament,  in  substantially 
the  same  form  in  which  we  now  have  it,  read  in  all 
the  synagogues  then  as  it  is  now,  spoken  of  as  Scrip- 
ture, regarded  as  inspired,  accepted  and  quoted  by 
Christ  as  authoritative. 

I  am  not  aware  that  any  scholar,  with  competent 
learning,  however  critical  his  attitude,  would  under- 
take   seriously    to    call    this    statement    in    question. 

201 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

Ewald,  Strack,  Stanley,  Buhl,  Delitzsch,  Briggs,  Rob- 
ertson, Smith,  Reuss  and  Samuel  Davidson  concede  it. 
Kuenen  and  Wellhausen  do  not  challenge  it.  Even 
Vernes,  who  claims  that  no  writing  of  the  Old  Tes- 
tament is  of  earlier  date  than  Ezra,  would  not  deny 
it.  It  is  implied  upon  every  page  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment, and  the  evidence  is  clear,  ample  and  decisive 
that  from  the  very  first  the  Christian  Church  accepted 
in  its  entirety  the  Old  Testament  as  it  was  read  and 
honored  in  the  synagogues  and  by  the  nation. 

The  public  life  of  our  Lord  was  one  strenuous,  un- 
broken conflict  with  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees,  but 
He  accepted  the  same  Scriptures  with  themselves 
as  a  revelation  from  God.  Paul  broke  with  the  syna- 
gogue in  its  theology,  but  for  the  ancient  oracles  he 
retained  his  undiminished  and  unqualified  reverence. 
No  criticism  can  shake  that  outstanding  fact.  The 
temple  fell.  The  holy  city  crumbled  into  dust.  The 
priesthood  came  to  an  end.  Sacrifice  ceased.  One 
thing  was  neither  burned  nor  buried.  The  Old  Tes- 
tament, as  we  have  it,  survived  the  shock  of  Roman 
arms,  and  with  Christ  it  maintained  its  imperial  as- 
cendancy, gaining  a  new  and  universal  constituency. 
For  the  notion  advanced  by  some,  that  between  the 
first  century  before  Christ  and  the  first  century  after 
Christ  the  Hebrew  text  was  deliberately  and  seriously 
corrupted,  is  utterly  without  foundation ;  and  the  clear 
testimony  of  Josephus,  who  lived  in  the  latter  century, 
falls  like  a  trip  hammer  upon  those  who  hint  it. 

The  only  plausible  qualification  \vhich  can  be  made 
is  that  in  the  time  of  Christ  there  was  some  uncer- 
tainty concerning  certain  books  wliich  belong  to  what 

202 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

is  called  the  third  canon  of  Scripture.  Thus  Robert- 
son Smith  declares  that  the  canon  of  law  was  complete 
450  B.  C. ;  the  canon  of  the  prophets  168  B.  C,  and 
that  in  the  time  of  Christ,  Psalms,  Proverbs  and  Job 
were  accepted  as  inspired  Scriptures.  That  would 
leave  out  Esther,  Ezra  and  Nehemiah,  Ecclesiastes, 
Canticles,  Daniel  and  Chronicles.  Even  these,  he 
declares,  were  in  existence  and  widely  read ;  only  it  is 
claimed  that  these  were  not  decisively  regarded  as 
Scripture  until  the  end  of  the  first  century  of  our  era. 
And  here  again  the  explicit  testimony  of  Josephus 
falls  like  a  trip  hammer  upon  the  theory.  But  even 
granting  it,  it  is  plain  that  the  bulk  of  our  Old  Testa- 
ment was  in  Christ's  hands,  and  regarded  by  Him 
as  Scripture.  In  our  Oxford  Bible  the  entire  Old 
Testament  covers  585  pages,  and  these  disputed  books 
cover  only  89  pages ;  and  their  elimination  would 
not  alter  a  single  feature  in  the  history  down  to  the 
time  of  Ezra.  The  evidence  for  our  present  Old  Tes- 
tament, as  indorsed  by  Jesus  Christ,  is  simply  amaz- 
ing, overwhelming,  unanswerable.  That  settles  the 
controversy  for  the  believer  in  Christ. 


Evolution  an  Unproved  Theory. 
In  evolution,  as  an  orderly  development  and  ad- 
vance, every  intelligent  man  believes ;  and  in  that  sense 
the  doctrine  is  as  old  in  literature  as  the  first  chapter 
of  Genesis.  But  evolution,  as  a  process  of  uninter- 
rupted differentiation  of  being,  under  natural  laws, 
and  from  inherent  forces,  as  an  unproved  theory,  with 
all  the  evidence  squarely  against  it.    So  long  as  that  is 

203 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

true,  I,  for  one,  am  not  going  to  let  evolution  recon- 
struct my  Bible  for  me. 

I  claim  that  while  in  the  realm  of  science  evolution 
is  an  unproved  theory,  in  the  realms  of  literature  and 
history  it  is  demonstrably  false.  It  is  not  true  that  the 
earliest  literature  of  a  nation  is  the  crudest  and  its  latest 
the  best.  It  is  not  true  that  the  line  is  one  steady  im- 
provement. This  is  not  true  of  Greece,  or  Rome,  or 
Germany,  or  France,  or  England,  or  the  United  States. 
Homer  never  had  a  competitor.  Shakespeare  and  Mil- 
ton have  not  yet  been  eclipsed.  Socrates,  Plato  and 
Aristotle  are  still  unrivaled.  Madison  and  Jefferson 
were  not  pigmies  compared  to  our  present  statesmen. 
Washington  is  still  without  a  peer.  We  are  not  more 
skillful  builders  than  the  men  who  reared  the  pyra- 
mids, nor  are  we  greater  architects  than  the  men  who 
designed  and  superintended  the  cathedrals.  We  have 
not  eclipsed  the  old  masters  in  painting,  sculpture  and 
music.  Civilizations  do  not  necessarily  grow  better 
as  they  grow  older.  Turkey,  India  and  China  prove 
the  very  reverse.  They  have  been  rapidly  going  down. 
A  book  on  ^'Degeneracy"  a  few  years  ago  attracted 
wide  attention.  The  picture  was  overdrawn.  But  the 
fact  is  that  it  requires  the  strenuous  and  continuous 
exertions  of  all  good  men  to  prevent  things  from  be- 
coming hopelessly  bad.  The  machines  are  everywhere 
and  always  against  righteousness  and  improvement. 
Progress  is  not  due  to  them,  but  to  the  men  who  break 
away  from  them.  There  is  one  force  in  literature  and 
in  history  of  which  evolution  takes  no  account,  and 
which  it  cannot  explain.  It  is  personality — strong, 
self-poised,  determined  personality.  Again  and  again  a 

204 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

man  appears  who  challenges  the  world  to  combat,  and 
he  wins.  It  may  be  Paul;  it  may  be  Athanasius;  it 
may  be  Luther;  it  may  be  Jesus  Christ.  Such  men 
are  prophets  of  God  and  they  inaugurate  new  epochs. 
They  shatter  prisons  and  set  men  free.  They  arrest 
the  growing  degeneracy  and  usher  in  the  better  days. 
They  are  not  the  product  of  blind  and  inherent  evo- 
lutionary forces.  One,  at  least,  has  defied  every  at- 
tempt at  classification.  He  stands  alone,  unap- 
proached  and  unapproachable — the  Son  of  Mary,  the 
Carpenter  of  Nazareth,  the  Prophet  of  Galilee.  Noth- 
ing in  Greece,  or  Rome,  or  Judea  explains  Him.  He 
was  and  remains  the  absolute  antithesis  of  His  time 
and  of  all  times.  Evolution  goes  to  pieces  when  it 
touches  Him.  God  is  manifest  when  He  appears. 
And  what  is  true  of  Christ  is  true  of  every  great 
leader  who  has  appeared  in  history.  Personality  dom- 
inates in  literature,  in  art,  in  history,  in  war  and  in 
peace.  Carlyle  may  have  gone  too  far  in  his  hero 
worship,  in  his  unstinted  praise  of  great  and  energetic 
men.  There  is  moral  force,  for  good  or  evil,  in  the 
people,  too;  and  we  neglect  that  at  our  peril. 
Still  it  remains  true  that  personality  is  the  decisive 
force  in  history.  And  personality  is  the  absolute  an- 
tithesis of  evolution.  Unproved  in  science,  demon- 
strably false  in  literature,  art  and  history,  the  theory  of 
evolution  cannot  be  accepted  as  a  canon  of  criticism. 
Certainly  not  at  its  demand  shall  I  cease  to  believe 
and  preach  that  God  created  man  in  His  own  likeness 
and  image;  that  man  fell  by  voluntary  transgression, 
and  that  Jesus  Christ  was  born  of  a  virgin,  died  to 
save  man,  and  rose  again  from  the  sepulcher. 

205 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

Harnack  and  Literary  Criticism. 

Events  are  moving  rapidly  (April  4,  1897).  While 
our  American  preachers  and  editors  are  celebrating 
the  triumphs  of  literary  criticism,  and  busying  them- 
selves with  getting  out  a  new  Bible,  the  bugle  from 
Berlin  is  sounding  the  call  for  a  retreat  all  along  the 
line.  Nothing  more  noteworthy  has  appeared,  in  a 
hundred  years,  than  Professor  Harnack's  first  volume 
of  his  "Chronology  of  Old  Christian  Literature,"  fresh 
from  the  Leipzig  press.  No  one  will  venture  to  ques- 
tion the  author's  scholarship.  He  is  in  the  prime  of 
life,  and  the  bright  particular  star  of  the  University  of 
Berlin.  He  is  the  idol  of  Germany.  No  voice  is  more 
commanding  in  the  leading  seats  of  learning  of  Eng- 
land and  America.  In  minuteness  and  breadth  of 
historical  learning  he  has  no  living  equal.  He  is  per- 
fectly at  home  in  the  entire  Christian  literature  of  the 
first  three  centuries.  He  is  fearless  and  independent. 
His  orthodoxy  has  been  fiercely  assailed,  even  in  Ger- 
many. He  follows  Ritschl  in  insisting  that  metaphys- 
ics must  be  eliminated  from  theology.  But  he  also 
protests  against  manipulating  the  facts  of  history  in 
the  interest  of  a  preconceived  theory.  It  is  in  this 
last  domain  that  his  last  book  inaugurates  a  new  de- 
parture. 

Not  the  least  remarkable  part  of  the  book  is  the 
preface.  In  it,  Harnack  sketches  the  present  state  of 
New  Testament  criticism,  and  announces  the  general 
conclusions  to  which  his  studies  have  led  him.  He 
declares  that  the  attempt  to  sketch  the  origin  and  de- 
velopment of  Christianity,  by  assuming  that  the  New 

206 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

Testament  books  were  ''a  tissue  of  deceptions  and 
frauds,"  and  late  in  appearance,  has  utterly  broken 
down.  The  school  of  Baur  is  dead.  Tradition  has 
been  vindicated  as  true  and  trustworthy.  Interest  in 
literary  criticism  is  waning,  and  historical  studies 
are  displacing  it;  ''the  problems  of  the  future  lie 
in  the  domain  of  history,  not  of  literary  criticism," 
simply  because  tradition  is  right  in  its  estimate  of  the 
literature.  The  significance  of  this  verdict  appears 
when  it  is  remembered  that  the  assumptions  of  the 
Wellhausen  school,  in  the  treatment  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, are  identical  with  the  assumptions  of  Baur, 
which  Harnack  emphatically  discredits  and  repudi- 
ates. Significant  is  the  confession  of  a  Dutch  theo- 
logian, to  whom  Harnack  refers  without  naming  him, 
that  he  had  been  "compelled  to  believe  in  the  super- 
natural origin"  of  Christianity.  Harnack  will  not 
stand  alone.  He  will  carry  the  younger  scholars  with 
him,  and  the  Old  Testament  critics  will  follow.  That 
has  been  the  order  for  two  hundred  years.  In  five 
years  the  retreat  now  begun  may  become  a  stampede. 

In  the  body  of  the  work  the  most  remarkable  thing 
is  the  discussion  of  the  chronology  of  the  life  of  Paul. 
It  has  come  to  be  generally  accepted  that  six  years 
intervened  between  the  death  of  Christ  and  the  mar- 
tyrdom of  Stephen ;  and  Paul's  conversion  has  been 
located  in  the  year  36.  Holtzmann  and  Blass  had 
placed  it  four  or  five  years  earlier.  Harnack  sifts 
the  evidence  bearing  upon  the  date  when  Festus  be- 
came governor  of  Cesarea — the  crucial  chronological 
point — and  decides  emphatically,  with  luisebius  and 
Tacitus,  that  this  took  place  in  55  or  56.     Paul  had, 

207 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

at  that  time,  been  a  prisoner  for  two  years ;  so  that  his 
arrest  in  Jerusalem  falls  in  53  or  54.  Combining 
now  the  data  furnished  in  Acts  and  in  Galatians,  it 
appears  that  twenty-four  years  must  be  allowed  be- 
tween Paul's  conversion  and  his  arrest  in  53  or  54. 
This  locates  his  conversion  in  the  year  29  or  30 — the 
year  of  the  crucifixion.  And  as  a  result,  every  one  of 
the  Pauline  epistles  is  crowded  back  from  four  to  six 
years  :  Thessalonians  to  48  ;  Galatians  and  Corinthians 
to  52 ;  Romans  to  53 ;  Colossians,  Ephesians,  Philemon 
and  Philippians  to  56-58;  the  Pastoral  epistles  to  59- 
64,  in  which  last  year  the  apostle  suffered  martyrdom. 
The  most  startHng  fact  in  this  criticism  is  the  date 
of  Paul's  conversion.  It  had  been  assumed  that  the 
events  recorded  in  the  first  nine  chapters  of  Acts 
covered  a  period  of  six  years.  According  to  Harnack, 
the  time  must  be  measured  by  six  or  nine  months ! 
The  death  of  Christ  and  Paul's  conversion  are  sep- 
arated by  less  than  a  year !  What  a  picture  this  gives 
us  of  the  ferment  of  that  time!  No  wonder  the 
Dutch  theologian  was  compelled  to  believe  in  a  "super- 
natural origin"  of  Christianity!  Harnack  propounds 
no  theory.  He  makes  no  note  or  comment.  But  he 
plants  himself  squarely  upon  these  early  data,  which, 
so  far  as  I  know,  he  has  been  the  first  to  suggest. 
And  we  are  surely  getting  very  near  Christ,  when  the 
man  who  wrote  Galatians  and  Romans  was  converted 
in  the  year  when  Jesus  was  crucified!  For  one,  I  am 
waiting  to  hear  what  European  scholarship  will  have  to 
say  in  reply.  Harnack  has  done  a  bold  thing ;  but  as 
I  have  read  his  pages,  I  have  not  been  able  to  see  where 
he   is   vulnerable;   and   the   man   who   challenges   his 

208 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

verdict  on  a  matter  of  history  had  better  do  a  good 
deal  of  thinking  before  he  writes. 

This  book  has  stirred  me  to  the  depths.     It  seems 
to  me  that  it  marks  the  beginning  of  the  end. 


What  Must  I  Do  to  Be  Saved? 

I  take  it  for  granted  that  those  who  listen  to  me 
are  Christians,  or  want  to  be.  I  need  not  say  that  you 
ought  to  be.  We  are  all  sinners.  We  need  to  have 
a  clear  conception  of  Christ's  life,  death  and  resurrec- 
tion, and  that  His  sacrifice  shall  avail  for  the  pardon 
of  our  sins,  and  that  belief  in  and  service  of  Him  shall 
give  us  a  celestial  and  eternal  inheritance.  The  ques- 
tion which  marks  a  history,  the  turning  point  of  all, 
young  or  old,  men,  women  and  children  ;  the  question 
which  goes  deeper  than  any  other  is :  What  must  I  do 
to  be  saved?  I  want  to  give  the  Bible  answer  to  that. 
We  do  not  need  speculation,  or  fancy,  or  theory.  Your 
theories  are  as  good  as  mine,  and  mine  are  as  good  as 
yours,  and  neither  are  good  for  anything.  Your 
thoughts  are  not  my  thoughts,  and  mine  are  not  yours. 
What  you  think  I  do  not  know ;  what  I  think  you  do 
not  know. 

Paul  says:  "The  things  of  God  knoweth  not  any 
one."  I  go  a  step  further.  We  have  got  what  Jesus 
Christ  thought,  said,  did.  We  have  Him,  the  incar- 
nate Son  of  God.  We  have  Him  to  answer  the  deep 
things  of  God.  To  the  great  question  we  want  the 
Bible    answer,    the    ancient    answer,    which    is    found 

209 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

when  we  turn  to  the  sixteenth  chapter  of  Acts,  thirti- 
eth and  thirty-first  verses,  when  Paul  and  Silas  are 
being  brought  out  of  the  jail,  and  the  jailer  tremblingly 
asks:  "Sirs,  what  must  I  do  to  be  saved?"  In  many 
things  Christian  people  may  disagree,  in  questions  of 
theology;  church  government — on  a  great  variety  of 
matters.  It  was  so  in  the  apostolic  times ;  there  were 
quarrels  in  the  Church  of  Corinth ;  but  they  said — 
the  answer  leaped  to  their  lips  instantly,  and  from 
that  day  to  this,  during  the  more  than  1800  years,  it 
has  been  the  same:  "Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
and  thou  shalt  be  saved." 

Upon  a  rough  examination  of  the  New  Testament 
we  find  that  the  word  "believe"  occurs  fifteen  times, 
"believe  in  Christ"  eleven  times,  and  "upon  Christ" 
thirty-two  times.  The  high  water  mark  of  intellect, 
heart  and  will  we  call  faith.  We  are  first  summoned 
to  believe  in  Christ,  to  have  confidence  in  His  integ- 
rity, because  if  He  did  not  deceive  Himself  He  would 
not  deceive  us ;  to  have  the  deep  conviction  that  He 
says  no  more  than  He  means,  and  that  He  means 
what  He  says.  I  wish  that  you  knew  the  gospels 
by  heart,  from  the  first  chapter  of  Matthew  to  the  last 
verse  of  John.  The  gold  of  Ophir.  the  pearls  of  the 
sea,  and  the  jewels  of  the  mines  are  not  to  be  com- 
I)ared  to  the  sayings  of  Jesus.  Shadows  may  lie  upon 
the  heart,  I  know.  There  arc  hard  things  in  the  Bible. 
But  there  are  hard  things  in  nature,  in  life.  I  see 
things  every  day  that  puzzle  me  more  than  the  things 
T  sec  in  the  Bible.  Life  is  a  serious  thing.  Life,  as 
a  serious  thing,  brings  its  hard  problems.  You  and  1 
do  not  know  what  to  do  or  say  sometimes  in  the  face 

210 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

of  them.  But  Christ  knows.  BeHeve  Him.  I  am 
content  to  intrust  the  destinies  of  man  to  Him  whose 
hands  were  pierced  and  from  whose  side  flowed  the 
blood  that  was  shed  to  save  man.  BeHeve  Christ. 
Beheve  in  Christ — that's  coming  closer.  We  arc 
called  upon  not  only  to  believe  Christ,  but  to  believe 
in  Christ.  The  preposition  ''in"  implies  movement, 
going  to  Christ,  and  stopping  when  it  gets  to  Christ. 

Faith  is  a  personal  relation  to  Jesus  Christ,  not 
membership  in  a  church,  not  subscri1)ing  to  a  creed, 
not  subscribing  to  a  certain  doctrine.  It  is  coming 
to  Christ  and  beheving  in  Him.  Believing  in  Christ 
is  to  believe  in  the  one  Man  in  whom  dwells  the  full- 
ness of  the  godhead  bodily.  The  miracle  of  the  resur- 
rection and  the  moral  perfection  of  Christ  prove  Him 
to  be  the  Son  of  God.  Christ  says:  'T  and  the  Father 
are  one."  If  you  have  seen  Christ  you  have  seen  God. 
Do  you  believe  in  Christ?  Then  you  must  rest  in 
Him.  You  can't  rest  on  anything  else.  There  are 
two  alternatives  in  regard  to  the  judgment  w^e  pass 
upon  Christ.  Either  He  was  a  deceiver,  the  most 
blasphemous  deceiver  that  ever  lived,  or  He  was  the 
eternal  Son  of  God.  Criticism  hereafter  must  choose 
between  two  things — either  Christ  was  the  most 
wickedly  blasphemous  man  that  ever  lived,  unworthy 
of  homage  from  any  one  of  us,  or  He  was  the  Son 
of  God.  We  are  summoned  to  believe  upon  Christ. 
The  preposition  "upon"  is  not  one  of  movement,  but 
one  of  adhesion. 


211 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

The  Lamp  of  Life. 

We  are  seeking  for  an  answer  to  this  question: 
What  is  the  Bible?  And  the  first  answer  is  that  it  is 
a  book.  It  is  the  only  book  to  which  no  other  name 
is  given,  and  when  you  say  *'the  Bible"  you  simply 
say  "a  book."  But  it  is  one  book  among  many;  it  is 
the  book  par  excellence.  It  is  the  crown  and  the  con- 
summation of  the  world's  literature;  there  is  nothing 
to  be  compared  with  it.  It  stands  head  and  shoulders 
above  everything  else.  It  is  a  unique  book  in  its 
composition.  Most  books,  and  the  best  books,  are 
written  by  single  authors.  I  have  generally  noted 
that  the  more  authors  there  are  in  a  book  the  poorer 
it  is.  I  don't  take  much  stock  in  literature  made  by 
combination.  The  books  which  have  had  the  largest 
influence  in  the  world  are  those  on  which  men 
wrought  a  great  many  years.  Butler's  "Analogy," 
for  instance,  was  the  result  of  thirty  years  of  elabora- 
tion. The  Bible  extends  not  merely  over  a  single  gen- 
eration, but  over  centuries — 2,000  years,  part  of  it. 
The  hands  of  men  wrote  it;  the  hands  of  men  com- 
piled it;  the  hands  of  men  translated  it;  the  hands  of 
men  transmitted  it.  It  is  a  human  book  all  the  way 
through,  in  language  and  in  thought,  and  in  form, 
and  in  substance,  every  fiber  of  it.  Please  make  a 
note  of  that.  It  is  divine,  too,  in  every  fiber  of  it. 
You  cannot  pick  it  to  pieces  and  say :  "This  belongs  to 
man  and  that  to  God."  It  all  belongs  to  man.  It  is 
a  human  product  with  a  divine  soul. 

The  Bible  deals  with  facts  and  with  nothing  else; 
deals  with  realities  and  with  nothing  else — realities  of 

212 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

time  and  eternity,  realities  of  God  and  the  soul.  It  is 
intensely  real  literature  because  it  is  intensely  per- 
sonal. It  does  not  tell  you  anything  about  the  stars 
or  the  sea ;  nothing  about  theology ;  it  does  not  teach 
anything  about  things,  but  it  teaches  a  great  deal 
about  persons.  It  is  reality  aflame.  If  there  ever  was 
a  book  full  of  facts,  and  only  facts,  it  is  the  Bible. 

The  Bible  is  a  book  which  has  commanded  from 
the  first  a  peculiar  veneration.  Whether  you  have 
this  or  not  does  not  make  much  difference.  Men 
have  believed  that  it  was  an  inspired  book,  that  it 
is  an  infallible  authority  upon  the  great  theme  with 
which  it  deals.  Over  and  over  again,  during  these 
three  or  four  thousand  years,  this  claim  on  behalf  of 
the  Bible  has  been  disputed  and  assailed;  but  in  spite 
of  all  that  the  book  has  held  on  its  way.  There  never 
was  a  keener  critic  than  Ewald  during  the  present 
(nineteenth)  century,  and  yet  in  a  conversation  he  had 
with  one  of  our  American  scholars  he  placed  his 
hand  upon  a  little  Greek  Testament  that  he  always 
carried  with  him,  and,  speaking  in  the  German  tongue, 
said :  ^'My  friend,  this  book  contains  all  the  wisdom 
of  the  world." 

The  Bible  has  proved  itself  to  be  the  mightiest  of 
all  moral  agencies  for  the  advancement  of  the  world. 
Men  who  through  it  know  their  rights,  and  dare  to 
maintain  them,  aflame  with  the  passion  for  righteous- 
ness, become  leaders  of  their  day  and  generation.  It 
is  thought  that  rules  the  world.  The  pen  and  the 
tongue  are  mightier  than  the  sword.  Never  were 
there  such  mighty  men  as  the  prophets  and  the  apos- 
tles.    Wherever  this  book  has  gone  it  has  found  a 

213 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

welcome,  it  has  wrought  its  beneficent  ministry.  It 
is  the  only  book  that  finds  a  welcome  everywhere. 
It  is  the  only  book  that  has  been  translated  into  all 
the  languages  known  to  the  world.  It  was  the  first 
book — do  you  note  that — the  first  book  ever  printed. 
The  first  that  came  from  the  printing  press  in  Europe 
was  the  Bible.  No  book  has  been  multiplied  as  this 
has  been.  It  is  the  only  book  in  all  the  history  of  the 
world's  literature  that  has  had  formed  on  its  behalf 
a  voluntary  society  for  its  free  distribution;  and  wher- 
ever it  has  gone  it  has  proved  itself  to  be  a  tree  of 
life,  the  eating  of  whose  fruit  has  brought  a  bene- 
diction. 

These  things  are  just  as  plain  as  the  stars  to-night, 
just  as  plain  as  the  sun  at  noon-day;  the  Bible  is  a 
book ;  it  deals  with  reality ;  it  has  commanded  a  singu- 
lar veneration;  it  has  been  the  mightiest  of  all  moral 
agencies  in  the  advance  of  the  world.  This  is  ex- 
traordinary whether  you  believe  its  miracles  or  not; 
this  is  the  extraordinary  and  the  inevitable  conclu- 
sion that  there  must  be  some  extraordinary  reason 
for  it.  Water  never  rises  higher  than  its  level;  the 
cause  must  be  adequate  to  the  effect.  And,  therefore, 
these  men,  whose  words  have  come  like  fire  into  the 
world,  and  burned  their  way  through  the  heart  of 
great  evils,  have  a  right  to  speak  for  themselves,  and 
to  be  heard  in  their  own  behalf.  None  of  these  writers 
claim  any  originality.  They  don't  claim  the  merit  of 
being  discoverers;  in  fact,  they  do  the  very  reverse — 
they  disclaim  all  originality  and  all  discovery.  They 
call  themselves  prophets;  that  is  a  term  of  humility. 
It  was  not  prediction  that  constituted  the  peculiar  qual- 

214 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

ity  of  the  prophets  of  the  Old  Testament.  The  word 
prophet  simply  means  one  who  speaks  for  another, 
one  who  does  not  say  anything  on  his  own  behalf; 
one  who  takes  his  message  from  another.  They  spoke 
as  the  prophets  of  God.  They  were  men  who  saw. 
When  you  look  into  the  heavens  at  night  you  do  not 
create  the  stars.  These  men  simply  had  open  eyes, 
and  God  lifted  the  veil  from  time  and  eternity.  A 
qualification  must  be  made;  they  did  not  pretend  to 
speak  of  all  that  God  knows.  There  is  a  great  deal 
of  knowledge  outside  of  the  Bible,  a  great  deal  of 
truth,  and  a  great  deal  of  sacred  history.  It  does  not 
undertake  to  tell  us  everything  that  God  has  done  in 
the  past,  or  will  do  in  the  future — only  a  very  small 
fraction  of  it.  These  men  spoke  for  God;  they  see 
what  He  has  revealed  to  them,  and  what  they  teach 
has  to  do  with  the  important  question  of  your  salvation 
and  mine.  That  is  the  whole  of  it.  Precept  and 
promise,  biography  and  history — all  centered  on  this 
point.  And,  therefore,  it  is  that  the  Bible  is  frag- 
mentary literature,  if  you  expect  to  find  a  complete 
chronology.  But  it  does  not  claim  to  be  anything  of 
the  kind.  If  you  expect  to  find  here  a  finished  sys- 
tem of  astronomy,  it  may  be  said  that  the  Bible  was 
not  written  for  that  purpose ;  if  you  expect  to  find  a 
thoroughly  articulate  theological  system,  it  was  not 
written  for  that  purpose ;  none  even  as  concerning 
ethics,  or  moral  conduct,  in  an  elaborate  form.  But 
you  will  find  a  complete  and  an  exhaustive  statement 
in  the  Bible  of  what  God  has  done,  and  is  doing,  and 
will  do  to  save  men  from  their  sins. 
There  are  two  questions  that  this  book  always  deals 

215 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

in:  First,  What  has  God  done  to  save  me?  and  sec- 
ond, What  must  I  do  to  be  saved?  What  is  the  an- 
swer? What  has  God  done  to  save  me?  This  is  a 
true  and  faithful  saying,  and  worthy  of  all  accepta- 
tion, that  Jesus  Christ  came  into  the  world  to  save  sin- 
ners. What  must  I  do  to  be  saved?  Believe  on  the 
Lord.     And  so  you  come  to  the  Bible. 


The  Attributes  of  God. 

Who  is  God?  Taking  it  for  granted  that  we  are 
theists,  that  we  beheve  in  the  separate,  independent, 
conscious  personal  existence  of  a  living  God,  and  in 
one  living  God,  I  assume  His  distinct,  eternal,  sover- 
eign personality,  and  I  do  it  for  the  simple  reason  that 
I  plant  myself  unreservedly  and  leave  no  question 
whatever  upon  the  statements  of  the  Bible.  There  is 
nothing  in  all  the  Scriptures,  from  the  first  verse  to 
the  last,  upon  which  such  constant  emphasis  is  laid  as 
the  eternal  reality  and  independence  of  the  personal 
being,  God.  He  is  described  as  a  thinking,  a  feeling, 
a  willing,  a  speaking,  a  fulfilling,  an  acting  being. 
Every  form  of  emotion  is  affirmed  to  exist  in  Him — 
pity,  sorrow,  surprise,  anger,  regret,  love.  He  is 
represented  as  the  searcher  and  beholder  and  the  ruler 
of  all  things.  He  is  declared  to  be  absolute  and  eter- 
nal, independent  of  everything  else.  The  whole  uni- 
verse hangs  from  His  hand  by  a  slender  and  invisible 
thread.  Our  life  is  written  in  Him ;  His  life  is  not 
written  in  us.  He  is  in  all  things  by  His  creative  and 
sovereign  activity;  but  in  His  personal  being  He  is 

216 


THE    CHRIST    OP    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

absolute,  independent,  self-contained.  The  whole  uni- 
verse has  taken  nothing  from  His  eternal  and  inde- 
pendent personality,  and  the  whole  universe,  material 
and  spiritual,  can  add  absolutely  nothing  to  it.  This 
is  no  speculation.  This  lies  in  the  heart  of  the  Scrip- 
tures. 'Tn  the  beginning  God" — that  is  the  way  it 
reads,  and  every  sentence  which  follows  vibrates  with 
that  sublime  affirmation.  All  the  world  is  the  work  of 
His  creative  mind,  and  is  upheld  by  it. 

This  truth  is  carried  into  that  answer  which  the 
Lord  gave  to  the  woman  of  Samaria :  "God  is  a  Spirit." 
There  are  four  words  there.  Jesus  did  not  use  the  four, 
however,  but  two.  The  verb  is  in  italic;  it  does  not 
belong  there;  and  the  last  noun,  ''Spirit,"  in  the  origi- 
nal, is  without  the  article  ''a."  So  that  it  stands  "God — 
Spirit."  But  the  word  spirit  sometimes  means  breath, 
sometimes  life,  sometimes  other  things.  The  form  here 
is  that  God  in  His  essential  being  is  life — life  from 
core  to  circumference.  There  is  no  more  masterly 
summary  of  what  this  declaration  that  God  is  a  spirit 
means  than  Psalm  cxxxix.  He  is  omniscient,  omni- 
present, omnipotent.  None  can  resist  Him.  It  is  the 
simplest  definition  and  answer  to  our  question ;  but  it 
touches  only  the  metaphysical  qualities  of  His  being. 

We  come  to  a  richer  answer,  which  touches  the 
question  more  deeply,  when  we  consider  what  and  how 
much  the  Scriptures  have  to  say  about  the  wisdom  of 
God.  The  works  of  the  Lord  are  marvelous,  riot  be- 
cause the  sum  of  them  is  so  vast,  but  because  in  wis- 
dom He  has  made  them  all.  He  never  does  a  foolish 
thing.  There  are  no  blunders  and  mistakes  and  mis- 
fits.    He  is  patient.     His  patience  is  simply  His  wis- 

217 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

doni.  Associated  with  this  idea  of  the  divine  wisdom 
is  the  absolute,  unqualified  truthfulness  of  God.  He 
cannot  lie ;  He  cannot  deceive.  He  is  transparent  in 
everything  that  He  says  and  in  everything  that  He 
does.  So  far  as  He  has  revealed  Himself  it  is  not 
difficult  to  understand  Him.  He  says  what  He  means 
and  He  means  what  He  says.  He  is  never  guilty  of 
treachery,  the  vice  which  receives  the  severest  con- 
demnation, both  in  the  Old  and  New  Testament.  The 
Bible  finds  the  root  of  this  veracity,  this  truthfulness, 
in  God's  eternal  and  absolute  moral  purity.  He  is  light, 
and  in  Him  is  no  darkness  at  all.  That  is  the  reason 
He  speaks  true ;  that  is  the  reason  He  acts  true.  The 
fiber  of  truth  runs  into  the  inmost  recesses  of  His 
moral  nature.  He  is  nothing  but  truth.  He  is  eter- 
nally consistent  with  Himself,  so  that  the  name  given 
to  Him  in  the  Old  Testament  is  Jehovah.  'T  am  that 
I  am,  and  never  change.  What  I  was  I  am  now ;  what 
I  am  now  I  will  be  forever."  Eternally  consistent 
with  Himself;  it  is  the  equivalent  of  holiness.  In 
the  Scriptures  this  declaration  is  preached  with 
incessant  constancy  and  emphasis — the  immaculate 
personal  holiness  of  God.  That  is  the  glory  before 
which  seraphim  fall  on  their  faces.  It  is  that  which 
constitutes  the  energy  and  the  active  force  of  what  we 
call  His  justice.  He  cannot  overlook  wrong-doing. 
He  must  punish  the  rebellious  and  the  wicked.  That 
necessity  is  fixed  upon  Him  by  the  moral  perfection 
of  His  nature.  He  is  the  consuming  fire,  and  the 
stubble  and  the  chafif  must  go  to  ashes.  He  hates  sin. 
and  He  hates  the  man  who  sins.  You  cannot  separate 
them.     It  is  folly  to  talk  about  hating  sin  and  loving 

218 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

the  sinner.  You  may  love  him  so  far  as  the  possibilities 
of  his  deliverance  are  concerned,  but  you  cannot  punish 
the  sin  which  a  man  does  without  laying  the  strokes 
on  the  sinner.  And  yet  while  God  hates  sin,  He  does 
not  hate  the  sinner  in  the  sense  that  He  does  not  want 
to  deliver  him  from  that  which  is  his  curse  and  ruin. 
He  still  loves  him  with  infinite  compassion.  There 
never  were  sweeter  words  than  "Our  Father,"  and 
there  are  times  when  I  hardly  dare  to  say  them.  But 
if  Jesus  Christ  dwell  in  your  heart  by  faith,  the  fellow- 
ship will  become  so  close  that  the  immaculate  holiness 
of  God  will  be  your  ultimate  possession.  That  is  what 
redeeming  grace  means. 


What  is  Man? 

There  are  three  methods  which  are  open  to  us  in 
the  attempt  to  answer  the  question,  What  is  Man?  or 
What  am  I  ?  First,  is  the  method  of  observation ; 
second,  the  method  of  self-inspection,  and  third,  the 
method  of  revelation.  We  may  look  out,  we  may  look 
in,  and  we  may  look  up.  We  may  use  our  eyes,  we 
may  proceed  to  examine  our  own  souls,  and  we  may 
listen  to  what  God  has  to  say.  Let  us  begin  with  the 
simplest  method  and  step  by  step  proceed  to  those 
things  which  are  most  important  and  far  reaching. 
Let  us  use  our  eyes.  We  shall  conclude,  as  is  most 
evident,  that  man  is  the  most  highly  developed  animal 
in  the  order  of  nature.  He  shares  with  the  brute  crea- 
tion instincts  and  passions  ;  his  body  is  built  upon  the 
same  model  as  theirs ;  it  is  subject  to  the  same  laws 

219 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

of  growth,  decay  and  death ;  it  is  nourished  by  the 
same  elements  and  substances,  and  breathes  the  same 
air.  He  is,  as  said,  simply  the  highest  order  of  animal 
tenanting  the  planet. 

And  yet  there  are  three  things  which  distinguish 
him  even  as  an  animal.  First,  he  stands  and  walks 
erect ;  he  creeps  when  he  is  an  infant,  and  stoops  when 
he  is  old.  In  the  second  place,  what  strangely  differ- 
entiates man  from  all  other  animals — a  patent  and  an 
impressive  fact,  by  the  way — is  his  nakedness  at  birth. 
He  comes  into  the  world  without  any  provision  what- 
ever for  protection  from  exposure  to  the  extremes  of 
heat  and  cold.  The  seal  has  its  fur,  the  ox  its  hide, 
the  bird  its  feathers ;  but  every  man  wants  garments 
to  protect  him.  In  the  third  place,  and  this  is  the 
most  remarkable  thing  in  the  differentiation,  man  is 
the  only  animal  that  uses  fire.  So  he  is  a  cook  as  well 
as  a  tailor.  Reptiles,  birds  and  beasts  fly  from  fire  as 
from  their  bitterest  enemy ;  man  alone  grasps  it  in  his 
hands,  and  holds  it  as  the  most  valuable  of  his  ser- 
vants. He  has  used  it  from  the  dawn  of  civilization. 
One  can  almost  mark  the  steps  of  his  progress  by  the 
larger  use  he  has  made  of  this  element.  It  is  seen 
strikingly  in  our  manifold  industries. 

There  are  certain  minor  and  minuter  characteris- 
tics which  give  to  man  a  place  peculiarly  his  own. 
He  is  the  only  animal  that  has  a  hand.  The  monkey 
has  not  a  hand ;  it  is  really  a  foot  in  its  structure,  and 
in  the  purposes  for  which  it  is  used — leaping  and 
running.  You  cannot  use  your  hands  in  that  way.  If 
you  think  you  can,  just  try  it  to-morrow,  putting  them 
in  your  shoes  and  walking  across  the  bridge.     But 

220 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

they  were  never  made  for  the  purpose  of  locomotion. 
Another  characteristic  which  gives  to  man  a  pecuHar 
place  as  an  animal  is  this:  He  laughs.  Alone  of  all 
the  animal  tribes,  he  possesses  the  muscles  which  con- 
tract into  a  smile;  and  it  is  the  power  of  laughter 
which  gives  to  the  face  its  infinite  mobility  of  expres- 
sion. The  cat  will  hump  its  back  and  hiss ;  the  dog 
will  show  its  teeth  and  snarl ;  the  horse  will  prick  up  its 
ears  and  kick;  but  it  is  the  face  in  man  which  is  the 
index  of  his  emotions,  and  it  is  only  upon  his  face 
that  the  sunshine  ripples ;  it  is  only  from  his  lips  that 
there  falls  the  ringing  laughter.  And  yet,  when  all  has 
been  said,  it  still  remains  true,  as  the  result  of  observa- 
tion merely,  that  man  is  only  a  highly  endowed  ani- 
mal. He  is  born,  he  comes  to  manhood's  estate ;  then 
the  infirmities  of  age  creep  upon  him.  By  and  by  the 
breath  leaves  his  body,  and  you  bury  him  out  of  sight. 
Let  us  next  turn  our  eyes  inward.  Let  us  pursue 
for  a  little  while  the  method  of  self-inspection.  It 
is  a  marvelous  power  which  we  possess  that  we  can 
be  both  subject  and  object  at  once,  speaking  and  listen- 
ing. The  same  being,  and  capable  of  interrogating 
ourselves,  and  in  the  very  act  of  asking  questions 
secure  an  answer  to  them.  Our  point  of  departure  is 
to  be  found  in  those  qualities  by  which  the  speech  of 
man  is  distinguished  from  that  rude  communication 
which  animals  have  with  each  other  of  their  own  kind. 
Properly  speaking,  however,  the  animals  have  no  such 
thing  as  language.  They  have  only  a  few  emotional 
cries — of  alarm,  of  welcome,  of  pain,  of  pleasure,  of 
hostility,  of  friendship.  The  most  salient  character- 
istic of  man's  speech  is  that  it  has  a  living  center  from 

221 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

which  it  proceeds,  and  to  which  it  ever  returns.  That 
center  is  the  third  of  the  five  vowels — I.  It  never 
dropped  from  the  stars,  it  never  leaped  from  the  depths 
of  the  ocean,  it  is  not  heard  in  the  roll  of  the  thunder, 
it  is  not  articulated  by  the  shock  of  the  earthquake,  it 
never  fell  from  the  throat  of  songsters  in  the  sky. 
You  say  it  a  hundred  times  in  a  day.  It  is  the  most 
wonderful  thing  that  you  utter — that  personal  pro- 
noun I.  It  is  the  one  thing  that  holds  itself  stead- 
fast and  immovable  amid  all  changes,  physical,  mental 
and  moral.  When  I  say  "I  think,"  I  know  that  I  am 
thinking,  not  some  one  else.  It  is  I  who  make  the 
choice.  I  am,  therefore,  self-conscious  and  free.  I  am 
self-centered  as  well  as  self-conscious.  I  have  the 
power  of  personal  preference.  The  brute  displays  no 
moral  sense.  It  does  vicious  things  sometimes,  and  is 
killed.  It  is  not,  however,  held  to  moral  responsibilit\ 
for  anything  ill  it  does.  Man  moves  on  an  entirely 
different  plane.  He  feels  that  he  is  under  obligation 
to  bring  the  corresponding  animal  passions  and  in- 
stincts which  he  sees  in  the  brute  creation  under  the 
sway  of  reason :  To  put  them  in  leash ;  to  force  the 
bridle  into  their  teeth  and  hold  fast  to  the  reins  at  any 
cost;  to  subdue  them  by  the  power  of  the  conscience 
within  him.  It  is  his  business  to  do  it.  People  talk 
about  living  according  to  nature.  Yes,  let  the  flower 
live  according  to  its  nature ;  let  the  beasts  of  the  forest 
live  according  to  their  nature,  and  let  man  live  acord- 
ing  to  his.  The  lusts  of  the  flesh  war  against  the  soul. 
The  highest  and  best  must  not  be  trodden  under  foot 
by  that  wl)ich  is  low,  but  all  evil  must  be  brought  into 
subjection. 

222 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

Wlicn  man  comes  to  investigate  himself  he  discovers 
that  the  truest  definition  of  What  is  Man?  is  that  he 
is  a  personal,  rational  being,  carrying  the  law  of  his 
life  within  himself  as  imposed  by  the  reason ;  self-con- 
scious, self-directing,  self -judged.  Self-inspection 
will  carry  us  no  further  than  this.  We  come  to  some- 
thing of  even  greater  importance  when  we  hear  what 
the  Scriptures  declare  concerning  man  at  the  creation. 
He  was  made  in  the  image  and  in  the  likeness  of  God, 
and  the  record  tells  also  how  this  was  done.  The 
breath  of  life  was  breathed  into  his  nostrils  and  he  be- 
came a  living  soul.  In  his  essential  constitution  he  is 
spirit.  The  body  is  only  a  bandage.  From  our  origin 
and  constitution,  then,  it  follows  that  we  must  live  as 
personal  beings.  Our  fellowships  and  friendships  must 
be  personal  fellowships  and  friendships.  A  life  of 
prayer,  a  life  of  loving  intercourse  with  God,  a  life  of 
obedience  to  Him — that,  my  friends,  makes  the  sweet- 
est life  that  a  man  can  enter  into. 

The  instinct  for  immortality,  which  is  another  pecu- 
liarity of  man,  is  in  every  human  breast.  You  find  it 
in  the  lowest  and  in  the  highest.  All  literatures  are 
full  of  it.  Life  immortal!  It  is  not  a  gift  bestowed 
upon  me  and  not  upon  others ;  it  is  not  a  blessing 
which  God  has  secured  for  us,  but  it  is  a  problem 
which  He  has  solved,  and  it  is  a  question  which  He, 
once  for  all,  has  answered.  Let  us  be  striving  for  the 
riches  that  can  never  perish ;  let  us  be  ambitious  to 
e:ain  the  crown  that  shall  never  fade. 


>23 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

Who  is  Jesus  Christ? 

No  one  can  answer  the  question  "Who  is  Jesus 
Christ?"  except  Jesus  Christ  Himself.  That  Jesus 
Christ  has  done.  But  men  have  not  been  content  to 
take  Him  at  His  own  estimate,  and  have  subjected  His 
testimony  to  criticism.  And  the  moment  a  suspicious 
or  critical  attitude  is  assumed  to  Jesus  Christ  He  be- 
comes a  psychological  riddle  and  a  historical  enigma. 
Nor  is  this  surprsing.  Without  sympathy,  men  can- 
not be  understood.  Love  need  not  be  blind.  But 
suspicion  always  distorts  the  judgment.  Beside,  no 
man  reveals  all  that  is  in  him,  and  the  best  that  is  in 
him,  to  one  whom  he  has  reason  to  distrust,  and  whose 
confidence  he  has  not  won.  The  knock  of  distrust 
upon  the  door  of  the  heart  brings  no  response.  The 
door  remains  locked  and  bolted.  The  man  who  does 
not  believe  in  Jesus  Christ  makes  it  impossible  to  form 
a  consistent  and  satisfactory  estimate  of  Him.  And 
hence  I  shall  completely  ignore  the  answers  which  have 
been  given  to  the  question  by  those  who  have  assumed 
a  critical  attitude  to  Jesus  Christ,  or  to  those  to  whom 
we  are  indebted  for  such  knowledge  of  Him  as  we 
have.  For  it  is  one  and  the  same  whether  we  discredit 
Him  or  the  writers  of  the  Gospels  and  the  Epistles. 
For  if  the  record  is  suspicious  and  untrustworthy,  the 
lineaments  of  Jesus  Christ  become  blurred,  uncertain, 
and  fade  away. 

I  shall,  therefore,  assume  that  Jesus  Christ  acted  and 
spoke  as  He  is  represented  to  have  acted  and  spoken. 
And  to  that  I  shall  confine  myself.  I  shall  ignore 
the     interminable     controversies     which     have     been 

224 


K 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

waged  around  His  person,  over  which  councils  have 
wrangled  and  whose  results  have  been  embodied 
in  the  great  ecumenical  creeds.  These  creeds  are, 
in  the  main,  confession  of  ignorance.  They  tell 
us  what  Jesus  Christ  is  not.  They  are  batteries 
pouring  hot  shot  into  heresies.  But  they  leave  us 
just  where  they  begin,  to  form  an  estimate  of 
Him  by  what  He  has  said  about  Himself,  and  by 
what  He  has  shown  Himself  to  be  in  action.  He 
has  coined  His  own  name ;  and  that  name  is  the  Son 
of  Man.  Uniformly  does  Christ  speak  of  Himself  in 
this  way,  even  when  He  speaks  of  His  coming  in 
glory,  at  the  end  of  the  world,  for  universal  judgment. 
He  is  not  a  son  of  man,  but  the  Son  of  Man.  But 
the  uniqueness  and  fullness  of  His  humanity  leaves  it 
humanity  still ;  for  man  is  man,  at  the  bottom  and  at 
the  top.  So  Jesus  Christ  is  man,  a  man,  the  man.  He 
is  human  in  every  fiber  of  His  Being,  from  center  to 
circumference.  He  is  human,  sleeping  and  waking, 
speaking  and  thinking,  meditating  and  praying.  There 
are  no  depths  in  Him  which  are  not  human ;  there  are 
no  heights  in  Him  wdiich  are  not  human.  He  is  human 
in  the  manger ;  He  is  human  on  the  throne.  There  is 
no  divided  life  in  Him.  It  is  natural,  spontaneous,  even 
consistent  throughout.  Whatever  truth  there  may  be  in 
the  theological  statement  that  two  natures  were  united 
in  His  personality,  that  there  were  in  Him  two  centers 
of  consciousness  and  two  wills,  it  is  certain  that  the 
duality  never  came  into  concrete  expression.  As  we 
interpret  Him  by  the  record,  He  was  one,  not  two,  in 
consciousness  and  in  volition.  The  union  was  more 
intimate  than  that  of  soul  and  body.     It  was  so  pro- 


THE    CHRIST    OP   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

found  and  intimate  that  it  defies  analysis.  It  leaves 
Him  human,  a  true  man,  in  the  whole  scope  of  His 
conscious  and  active  life.  He  was  born  in  helplessness. 
He  grew  in  stature  and  wisdom  and  favor  with  God 
and  man.  He  was  a  student  of  the  holy  oracles.  He 
was  tempted  and  He  conquered  by  faith  and  prayer. 
He  needed  sleep.  He  wept.  He  dreaded  death  when 
it  faced  Him,  and  he  braced  himself  to  endure  it. 
Who  is  Jesus  Christ?  He  is  the  Son  of  Man,  a  true, 
conscious,  personal  man. 

But  this  man  makes  claims  which  from  any  other  lips 
would  be  instantly  repudiated  and  resented  as  the  gross- 
est blasphemy.  They  were  so  repudiated  and  resented 
by  those  who  condemned  and  crucified  Him.  And  the 
more  highly  we  regard  Him  as  a  good  man  the  more 
are  w^e  compelled  to  accept  His  estimate  of  Himself, 
without  qualification.  It  must  stand,  to  the  crossing 
of  a  "t"  and  the  dotting  of  an  "i."  Nor  is  it  difficult 
to  determine  what  these  claims  were,  claims  made  de- 
liberately and  repeatedly  by  Him,  claims  which  the 
apostles  emphasized  and  which  the  church  for  more 
than  eighteen  centuries  has  honored  in  her  prayers  and 
praises.  I  will  not  refer  to  His  miracles,  nor  to  the 
way  in  which  He  speaks  of  God  as  His  Father,  nor  to 
His  claim  that  He  was  entitled  to  interpret  the  law. 
For  a  prophet  might  be  invested  with  such  authority. 
But  He  claimed  and  exercised  the  right  to  forgive  sin, 
and  He  commanded  His  disciples  to  preach  forgiveness 
and  eternal  life  in  His  name.  He  declared  that  to 
Him  belonged  the  exclusive  right  of  final  judgment. 
All  that  are  in  the  graves,  He  tells  us,  shall  hear  His 
voice,  and  in  response  shall  present  themselves  at  His 

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THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

tribunal.  He  has  commanded  us  to  pray  in  His  name, 
declaring  that  whatever  honors  in  worship  were  ren- 
dered to  the  Father  were  due  also  to  Him.  Baptism 
visibly  seals  His  ownership  of  us,  which  He  shares 
with  the  Father  and  the  Holy  Ghost.  In  the  Hol\ 
Supper  we  commemorate  His  atoning  death,  and  look 
forward  to  His  coming  in  glory.  The  Holy  Spirit  He 
declares  to  be  His  gift ;  and  the  vocation  of  the  Spirit 
He  affirms  to  be  the  disclosure  and  explanation  of  His 
redemptive  work.  Twice,  once  in  the  fierce  debate  and 
once  in  the  quiet  of  the  upper  chamber,  while  He  was 
praying,  He  affirmed  His  conscious  pre-existence. 
Abraham  had  seen  His  day.  The  Scriptures  testified 
to  Him.  Before  the  foundation  of  the  world  He 
shared  the  Father's  glory.  He  claimed  equality  with 
God  the  Father,  and  when  His  hearers  were  so  angered 
that  they  threatened  to  kill  Him  for  His  blasphemy. 
His  answer  was  only  a  more  incisive  and  unqualified 
re-affirmation.  In  this  review  I  have  not  touched  the 
Epistles  through  which  the  same  note  rings. 

The  Gospels  uniformly  represent  the  man  Jesus 
Christ  as  conscious  God,  coming  down  from  heaven 
to  die  for  the  salvation  of  men.  The  precise  moment 
when  this  consciousness  of  Godhead  emerged  and  be- 
came fixed  is  not  stated.  Some  have  located  it  at  the 
Baptism ;  others  have  traced  it  to  His  first  visit  to  the 
Temple  when  He  was  twelve  years  old.  The  silence 
of  the  record  compels  a  reverent  silence  on  our  part. 
It  is  certain  that  during  His  ministry  this  conscious- 
ness and  conviction  were  clear  and  continuous,  with- 
out hindrance  or  addition  to  His  human  life  and  ac- 
tion.    The  picture  of  Jesus  Christ,  in  the  New  Testa- 

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THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

ment,  is  that  of  a  man  who  came  to  know  that  He 
was  the  Eternal  Son  of  God,  who  had  voluntarily  re- 
nounced eternal  divine  independence  for  a  life  of 
human  independence,  suffering  and  death. 

There  have  been  needless  debates  upon  the  union 
of  the  two  natures  in  Jesus  Christ.  By  some  they  are 
sharply  separated ;  by  others  they  are  mixed  or  fused. 
Upon  this  point  the  New  Testament  is  silent.  It  con- 
tents itself  with  affirming  that  the  man  Jesus  Christ 
was  with  God,  and  God,  from  everlasting.  He  could 
not  have  been  more  truly  God  had  He  never  become 
man.  And  He  could  not  have  been  more  truly  man  had 
He  never  been  God.  Man  He  was,  and  is,  and  re- 
mains forever,  in  every  fiber  of  His  being.  God  He 
was,  and  is,  and  remains  forever,  in  every  fiber  of  His 
being.  No  phrase  covers  the  unique  fact.  You  may 
call  Him  God  and  Man,  God-Man,  God  in  Man — and 
not  all  these  names  will  fit  the  unique  unity  of  His 
life.  God  and  Man,  God  in  Man,  suggests  two  separate 
conscious  centers  not  found  in  Christ.  God-man  savors 
of  a  mixture  of  which  there  is  no  trace.  All  phrases 
are  true;  all  are  inadequate.  For  we  face  a  truly 
human  personality,  with  one  body,  one  soul,  one  con- 
sciousness and  one  will,  in  which  human  personality 
there  is  the  consciousness  of  essential  and  eternal 
deity.    He  was  the  man  who  knew  Himself  to  be  God. 

I  know  of  but  one  passage  in  the  New  Testament 
which  throws  any  light  upon  this  miracle  and  mystery 
of  history.  I  mean  what  Paul  says  in  Philippians  ii. : 
5-1 1.  According  to  this  statement  Christ  existed  in 
the  form  of  God,  and  was  conscious  of  equality  witli 
God.    He  was  God.    But  He  emptied  Himself,  surren- 

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THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

dered  the  form  of  God  for  the  form  of  a  servant,  and 
this  He  did  by  becoming  man.  The  form  of  a  thing 
cannot  be  assumed  without  assuming  the  nature  of 
that  thing.  Christ  could  not  take  the  form  of  a  ser- 
vant without  becoming  really  man.  But  a  thing  may 
assume  another  form  without  surrender  of  its  nature, 
provided  that  form  is  suited  to  the  nature.  Christ,  as 
the  Eternal  Son  of  God,  could  become  man  without 
surrender  of  His  divine  nature,  provided  the  form  of  a 
human  life  was  suited  to  the  nature  of  God.  And  that 
is  plainly  assumed  in  the  Biblical  teaching  that  man 
bears  the  image  of  God,  and  that  God  can  dwell  in  the 
human  soul.  And  if  this  is  not  clear,  the  simple  fact 
remains  that  Jesus  Christ  is  declared  to  be  the  King 
who  voluntarily  surrendered  the  form  of  God,  in  which 
He  eternally  existed,  and  exchanged  it  for  the  form  of 
a  servant  by  becoming  man.  Before  His  birth  Christ 
was  God  in  the  form  of  God.  On  earth  Christ  was 
God  in  the  form  of  man.  In  heaven,  and  eternally, 
Christ  is  God  in  the  form  of  man,  and  man  in  the  form 
of  God.  A  Savioui  who  is  at  once  God  and  man  is 
what  the  soul  craves.  As  man,  Christ  links  Himself 
to  us,  tempted  in  all  points  as  we  are,  entering  into  all 
our  sorrows  and  sins.  As  God,  Christ  links  us  to 
Himself,  able  to  save  us  to  the  uttermost,  sharers  in 
His  eternal  glory. 


Why  Did  Christ  Die? 
The  answer  to  the  question,  "Why  did  Christ  die?'' 
will  depend  upon  the  reply  which  is  given  to  the  ques- 
tion, "Who  is  Jesus  Christ?"     If  Christ  was  only  a 

229 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

man,  though  the  greatest  and  best  of  men,  His  death 
can  have  only  a  human  meaning.  It  cannot  outrank 
that  of  a  patriot  who  dies  for  his  country,  or  that  of 
a  martyr  who  surrenders  his  Hfe  in  the  cause  of  truth. 
And  upon  such  an  estimate  of  Him,  His  death  was  in- 
evitable. Had  He  escaped  violence,  old  age  would 
have  enfeebled  His  powers,  and  He  could  not  have 
escaped  the  grave.  His  death  would  have  been  a  trag- 
edy, an  unfortunate  and  undeserved  calamity ;  but  in  it 
He  could  only  be  regarded  as  sharing  the  fate  which 
falls  upon  many,  who  fall  at  the- very  beginning  of 
their  career. 

The  question  assumes  an  entirely  different  aspect 
when  the  truth  of  the  incarnation  is  granted.  And 
this  truth  I  assume.  Jesus  Christ  was  the  Word  become 
flesh.  He  was  the  Eternal  Son  of  God  before  He  was 
born.  He  was  the  Eternal  Son  of  God  during  the 
entire  period  of  His  life  on  earth.  He  remains  for- 
ever the  Eternal  Son  of  God  in  His  exalted  and  glori- 
fied humanity.  Of  course,  this  implies  the  mystery  of 
the  trinity;  and  the  trinity  of  God  is  ingrained  in  the 
New  Testament.  Jesus  Christ  is  God  in  the  form  of 
man ;  God  in  every  fiber  of  His  being,  man  in  every 
fiber  of  His  being ;  as  completely  God  as  if  He  were 
not  a  man,  and  as  completely  man  as  if  He  were  not 
God.  We  cannot  divide  Him.  He  is  always  divine 
and  He  is  always  human.  The  truly  human  experi- 
ences were  also  divine  experiences.  The  truly  human 
acts  were  also  divine  acts.  The  personality  was  human 
from  center  to  circumference,  and  it  was  divine  from 
center  to  circumference.  The  one  soul  was  human  to 
the  core,  and  it  was  divine  to  the  core.     It  follows 

230 


THE    CHRIST    OP    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

from  this,  that  whatever  is  affirmed  of  Jesus  Christ  is  as 
true  of  His  deity  as  it  is  of  His  humanity.  The  in- 
firmities and  pains  of  the  body  touched  and  pierced 
His  divine  nature.  The  sufferings  and  death  were 
those  of  the  Eternal  Son  of  God.  He  was  buffeted 
and  bruised ;  He  rose  from  the  sepulcher  and  ascended 
into  the  heavens.  And  this  gives  to  His  death  a 
unique  and  startHng  meaning. 

For  it  could  not  have  been  inevitable.  He  could 
die,  but  He  needed  not  to  die.  His  life  was  in  His  own 
hands,  as  ours  is  not.  So  He  declared  that  no  man 
could  take  it,  and  that  He  had  power  to  lay  it  down 
and  powxr  to  resume  it.  Not  all  the  armies  of  earth, 
not  all  the  devils  in  hell,  could  have  dragged  Him  to 
the  cross.  He  died  because  He  had  come  to  die,  be- 
cause He  had  made  up  His  mind  to  die.  And  if  death 
was  the  eternal  and  voluntary  choice  of  Jesus  Christ, 
to  which  He  marched  with  deliberate  and  eager  steps, 
then  w^e  must  call  it  either  suicide  or  sacrifice.  It  is 
only  necessary  to  state  the  alternatives  to  make  it  plain 
that  the  death  of  Jesus  Christ  was  a  divine  sacrifice. 
Such  the  New  Testament  always  represents  it  to  have 
been. 

But  why  did  Christ  sacrifice  Himself  upon  the  altar 
of  death  .^  Sacrifice  for  its  own  sake  has  nothing  to 
commend  it.  We  do  not  praise  the  spendthrift.  We 
do  not  regard  foolhardiness  or  recklessness  as  courage. 
Wise  men  do  not  burn  up  their  money.  Good  men  do 
not  throw  their  lives  away.  The  word  sacrifice  is  a 
religious  term.  It  defines  a  sacred  act.  It  means 
the  destruction  or  surrender  of  one  thing  for  another 
regarded  as  more  desirable.    The  death  of  Jesus  Christ 

231 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

was  a  divine  sacrifice.  It  must,  therefore,  have  had  an 
adequate  purpose.  That  purpose  the  New  Testament 
declares  to  have  been  our  salvation  from  sin  and  our 
eternal  redemption.  That  we  might  not  perish  He  died 
and  rose  again.  He  died  for  our  sins  and  rose  again 
for  our  justification. 

This  crowds  another  question  to  the  front.  It  is 
this :  "Why  was  it  necessary  for  the  Eternal  Son  of 
God  to  die  that  we  might  be  saved?"  The  fact  that 
this  is  the  result  which  His  death  secured  is  a  fact 
beyond  all  question  for  every  one  who  believes  the 
New  Testament.  But  why  was  such  a  death  necessary  ? 
One  answer  is,  that  in  the  flesh  of  Christ  God  con- 
demned sin — that  is,  destroyed  its  power.  And  to  this 
is  added  the  statement  that  the  strength  of  sin  is  the 
law  of  God,  and  the  law  of  God  is  simply  the  expres- 
sion of  His  eternal  justice.  In  death  Christ  grappled 
with  sin ;  in  grappling  with  sin  He  encountered  the 
law  of  God,  of  which  sin  is  the  violation ;  and  in  en- 
countering the  law  of  God,  Christ  undertook  to  vindi- 
cate and  satisfy  the  eternal  righteousness  of  God — that 
eternal  righteousness  which  was  and  remains  His  per- 
sonal attribute  as  much  as  the  Father's.  It  was  the 
lawgiver  who  died  for  the  transgressor.  This  removes 
all  appearance  of  antagonism  or  conflict  between  Christ 
and  the  Father,  in  the  atonement.  It  was  not  an  angry 
God  whom  Christ  appeased,  and  the  fires  of  whose 
wrath  were  quenched  in  blood.  Whatever  anger  or 
wrath  there  is  in  God  is  also  in  Jesus  Christ.  So  that 
when  we  speak  of  the  death  of  Christ  as  demanded  by 
the  law  of  God,  and  by  the  righteousness  of  God,  which 
that   law   embodies   or   enforces,   we   must   remember 

232 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

that  this  demand  is  not  laid  upon  Christ  from  without, 
but  proceeds  from  within  Himself.  It  is  the  righteous- 
ness of  God  in  Him ;  it  is  the  law  of  God  in  Him 
which  makes  His  death  necessary  to  our  salvation.  So 
much  is  plain,  demanded  by  the  teaching  of  the  New 
Testament.  Whether  we  can  probe  the  mystery  any 
deeper  admits  of  serious  doubt. 

And  yet  our  question  is  not  fully  answered  unless 
we  add  one  thing  more.  If  the  necessity  of  the  death 
of  Christ  was  such  as  has  been  indicated,  we  must  join 
in  what  the  Scriptures  declare  and  thrust  into  the  fore- 
ground, that  the  love  which  moved  the  Eternal  Son  of 
God  to  suffer  and  die  for  our  salvation  passes  under- 
standing and  is  unspeakable.  Love  can  do  no  more 
than  to  die  for  its  enemies.  Every  doubt  is  silenced 
by  such  a  sacrifice.  Fears  vanish  under  such  a  reve- 
lation of  the  heart  of  our  God.  If  that  does  not  make 
us  penitent,  nothing  will.  If  that  does  not  make  us 
hate  sin,  nothing  will.  If  that  does  not  make  us  pa- 
tient, nothing  will.  If  that  does  not  give  us  a  song, 
nothing  will.     Let  us  rejoice  with  trembling. 


What  Does  the  New  Birth  Mean? 

The  man  turns  about,  but  he  turns  about  because 
God  has  created  him  anew.  This  radical  change  has 
been  spoken  of  as  the  imparting  of  a  new  nature,  or 
the  implanting  of  a  new  principle  of  life,  or  the  creation 
of  a  new  taste.  The  only  certain  fact  is  that  a  definite 
creative  energy  is  exerted  in  and  upon  the  soul,  in 
virtue  of  which  it  may  be  said  to  be  born  again.    This 

235 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

is  clear  when  we  consider  that  the  change  is  repre- 
sented as  a  birth,  as  a  new  creation,  and  as  a  resurrec- 
tion from  death  to  sin. 

Turning  to  the  New  Testament  we  find  that  the  new 
birth  is  the  inscrutable  sovereign  act  of  God  in  the  soul. 
It  is  inscrutable ;  we  cannot  understand  its  method — 
as  mysterious  as  the  action  of  the  air,  whose  move- 
ment we  hear  and  feel,  but  whose  origin  we  cannot 
trace,  and  whose  limits  we  cannot  define.  And  it  is 
the  sovereign  act  of  God,  for  they  who  receive  Christ 
are  said  to  be  born,  not  of  blood,  nor  of  the  will  of  the 
flesh,  nor  of  the  will  of  man,  but  of  God.  It  is  John 
alone,  of  the  New  Testament  writers,  who  speaks  of 
this  radical  moral  change  in  the  soul  as  a  birth ;  though 
the  word  is  found  once,  in  a  modified  form,  in  the  writ- 
ings of  Peter.  Paul  speaks  of  it  as  a  new  creation,  or 
as  a  resurrection  from  moral  death,  thus  clearly 
and  forcibly  emphasizing  the  supernatural  character 
of  the  change.  John  clings  to  the  word  birth,  but  he 
represents  it  as  a  birth  from  above,  and  speaks  of 
those  who  are  the  subjects  of  it  as  "born  of  God." 
So  that  regeneration  is  as  really  a  miracle  as  creation 
or  resurrection ;  that  is  to  say,  its  casual  energy  is  the 
personal  action  of  God  in  the  soul. 

But  the  inscrutable  act  of  God  is  a  purely  spiritual 
act.  The  Holy  Spirit  is  the  agent  in  regeneration. 
We  are  born  of  the  Spirit.  The  act,  therefore,  must 
not  be  confounded  with  an  act  of  mere  power.  The 
word  spirit  means  breath.  Tlic  Holy  Spirit  is  the 
living  breath  of  God,  and  the  new  birth  is  the  result 
produced  by  God's  breath  upon  and  into  the  soul  of 
man.      The   power  by   which   God   makes   a   star   is 

234 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

not  the  power  by  which  He  regenerates  us.  The 
change  is  a  spiritual  change,  and  the  act  is  a 
spiritual  act.  It  follows  from  this  that  regeneration 
is  not  the  creation  of  a  new  being,  nor  the  implant- 
ing or  imparting  of  a  new  faculty.  Regeneration  does 
not  create  a  new  soul  any  more  than  it  creates  a  new 
body.  Neither  is  altered  in  essential  constitution. 
The  change  is  radically  and  exclusively  spiritual ;  its 
sphere  is  in  the  convictions,  the  affections,  the  elective 
preferences  and  purposes  of  the  will. 

Men  are  born  again  or  begotten  again,  through  the 
word  of  God,  that  incorruptible  seed  which  liveth  and 
abideth  forever.  The  mission  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  to 
convict  the  world  of  sin,  of  righteousness  and  of  judg- 
ment. He  operates  in  and  through  the  reason,  the 
conscience,  the  moral  affection,  the  will.  He  takes 
away  our  bHndness  and  hardness  of  heart  and 
makes  an  end  of  our  darkness.  The  Spirit  does 
more  than  teach;  He  so  teaches  as  to  convict  and 
persuade;  He  so  convicts  and  persuades  as  to  create 
us  anew.  Illumination  and  conviction  and  persuasion 
are  not  all  there  is  in  regeneration;  but  there  is  no 
regeneration  without  them — that  is  to  say,  the  spirit- 
ual act  of  God  is,  throughout,  a  rational  act.  It  is 
mysterious  and  miraculous,  but  it  is  neither  mechan- 
ical nor  magical.  God  achieves  it  by  means  of  truth, 
not  by  physical  power;  by  His  spiritual  action  in  and 
upon  the  rational  and  moral  nature  of  man  in  and  upon 
the  soul  as  a  thinking,  feeling,  willing  subject.  Man, 
therefore,  is  conscious  and  active  in  regeneration. 
Not  in  the  sense  that  he  co-operates  with  God  in  pro- 
ducing the  radical  change,  but  in  the  sense  that  reason, 

235 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

conscience,  affection  and  will  are  in  conscious  and 
active  movement  during  the  entire  process  from  be- 
ginning to  end.  It  is  God  who,  through  His  living 
word,  regenerates  us,  but  that  truth  cannot  gain  en- 
trance and  do  its  transforming  work  unless  we  listen 
and  consent,  and  in  listening  and  consenting  the  soul 
is  active. 

But  the  truth  which  God  uses  in  regeneration  is 
not  an  abstract  proposition.  It  is  concrete  and  specific. 
It  is  the  truth  which  is  embodied  in  law  and  gospel, 
in  precept  and  promise.  Here  we  learn  most  from 
Paul,  who  reminds  us  that  we  are  created  anew  in 
Christ  Jesus,  and  are  risen  with  Christ,  quickened 
together  wath  Him.  The  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is 
not  independent  of  Christ.  His  chief  and  highest 
mission  is  to  reveal  Christ  to  our  minds  and  hearts, 
to  make  clear  to  us  the  dignity  of  His  person  and  the 
meaning  of  His  advent,  death  and  resurrection.  Such 
as  receive  Jesus  Christ  receive  that  truth  of  God, 
through  which  they  are  born  again.  This  makes  the 
path  of  our  duty  plain.  The  philosophy  of  regenera- 
tion may  escape  us.  Any  attempt  to  make  it  intelli- 
gible to  ourselves  may  only  result  in  greater  bewilder- 
ment and  confusion.  But  if  the  new  birth  be  a  birth 
in  Christ,  if  the  new  creation  be  a  creation  in  Christ, 
the  one  thing  for  us  to  do  is  to  keep  in  close  touch 
with  Jesus  Christ  as  the  Eternal  Son  of  God  become 
man,  our  Teacher,  Redeemer  and  King.  At  this  point 
the  mystery  clears.  We  know  what  it  is,  by  personal 
and  confiding  fellowship  with  wiser  and  better  men 
and  women,  to  be  transformed  into  their  ways  of 
thinking   and   acting;    and    sometimes   the   change    is 

236 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

so  radical  that  it  may  be  called  a  new  birth.  We 
say — and  many  can  say  it — "Since  1  met  that  man, 
that  woman,  a  great  change  has  come  over  my  life. 
I  hardly  know  myself;  I  wonder,  sometimes,  whether 
I  am  the  same  man,  so  thoroughly  have  I  been  changed 
in  my  thoughts  and  purposes."  We  are  made,  or  un- 
made, by  those  to  whom  we  give  our  hearts.  And  they 
who  open  their  minds  and  hearts  to  Jesus  Christ,  as 
the  wisest  and  the  best  among  the  sons  of  men,  as  the 
Son  of  Man  in  whom  the  fullness  of  the  redeeming 
godhead  dwelleth  bodily,  cannot  fail  to  be  the  subjects 
of  a  regenerating  agency  whose  fruit  is  eternal  life. 
That  energy  is  personalized  in  Him ;  it  flows  out  from 
Him,  and  we  need  but  touch  Him  to  be  conscious 
of  the  healing  power.  There  is  no  virtue  in  the  touch, 
the  virtue  is  only  in  Him ;  but  without  the  touch 
the  virtue  which  is  in  Him  does  not  become  ours. 
A  slender  wire  overhead  and  a  connecting  lever  swing- 
ing in  a  socket,  and  with  a  grooved  wheel  at  the  upper 
end,  are  pieces  of  inert  machinery.  There  is  no  power 
in  them.  But  when  from  the  central  power  house 
the  subtle  and  invisible  electric  current  shoots  through 
them  and  down  into  the  wheels,  the  heavy  mass  above 
the  wheels  begins  to  move.  Wire  and  lever  are  only 
the  conductors  of  the  energy,  but  as  conductors  they 
are  indispensable.  And  faith  saves,  because  faith 
connects  us  with  Christ,  who  is  the  power  of  God 
unto  salvation.  It  is  the  conductor  of  salvation. 
We  are  exhorted  to  lay  hold  upon  eternal  life, 
and  that  life  is  in  Jesus  Christ.  That  eternal  life 
becomes  ours  when  we  lay  hold  upon  Jesus  Christ ;  in 
believing  on  Him  and  surrendering  ourselves  to  Him 

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THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

\vc  are  born  again.  Let  us  keep  in  touch  with  Jesus 
Christ.  Let  us  touch  not  merely  the  hem  of  His 
garment;  let  us  touch  His  pierced  palms  and  leave 
our  hands  in  them ;  let  us  come  closer  still  until  thought 
answers  to  thought,  and  until  our  heart  pulses  throb 
in  unison,  until  His  holy  will  sweetly  subdues  and 
shapes  our  own;  until  He  dwells  in  us  by  His  spirit 
and  we  dwell  in  Him  by  faith  and  surrender,  and  the 
mysterious  and  mighty  new  birth  will  be  a  concrete 
fact  in  our  personal  experience.  Believe  on  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  and  thou  shalt  be  saved! 


Judgment  of  Self. 

In  our  judgment  upon  ourselves  we  are  to  follow 
the  rule  of  severity;  in  our  judgment  upon  others  we 
are  to  follow  the  rule  of  forbearance.  We  are  to  be 
stern  and  uncompromising  with  ourselves;  we  are  to 
be  cautious  and  charitable  with  others.  Nor  is  there 
anything  arbitrary  in  this  difference  of  temper. 
Reason  and  righteousness  will  permit  no  other  course. 
For  the  fact  is  simply  this:  that  every  man  may  and 
ought  to  understand  himself,  while  he  understands 
no  other  man,  and  no  other  man  understands  him.  It 
follows  from  this  that  self -judgment  is  the  only  thing 
possible  for  any  one  of  us.  Our  ignorance  of  others 
debars  us  from  passing  judgment  upon  others,  and 
debars  others  from  passing  judgment  upon  us.  God  is 
the  sole  judge  of  all,  because  He  knows  the  secrets 
of  all  hearts,  and  therefore  can  pass  righteous  judg- 
ment, the  judgment  which  every  individual  conscience 

238 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

must  approve.  To  his  own  master  every  man  stands 
or  falls.  There  is  an  awful  solemnity  in  this  moral 
isolation  from  which  we  cannot  escape.  We  cannot 
share  our  personal  responsibility  with  others.  We 
must  carry  the  whole  of  it.  Nor  should  we  desire  the 
least  release.  The  moment  we  do  that  we  surrender 
the  crown  God  meant  us  to  wear.  We  must  be  kings 
in  reality,  not  merely  in  name.  And  we  are  sovereigns 
only  when  we  have  the  courage  of  our  own  convic- 
tions, and  follow  them.  We  are  never  weary  of 
preaching  the  duty  of  individual  political  convictions 
as  indispensable  to  the  permanence  of  republican  in- 
stitutions ;  the  absolute  integrity  of  individual  citizen- 
ship. The  kingdom  of  God  and  of  His  righteousness 
rests  upon  the  same  corner  stone.  Infallible  moral 
judgment  is  possible  only  to  God,  Who  knows  me. 
and  to  myself,  who  may  be  taught  of  God.  For  when 
it  comes  to  knowledge,  there  is  only  one  thing  I  can 
know  with  absolute  certainty  and  by  immediate  con- 
sciousness :  and  that  is  myself.  I  can  know  my 
thoughts,  my  motives,  my  purposes,  my  weakness, 
my  sin.  My  soul  can  know  no  other  soul  as  my  soul 
can  know  itself.  And  that  being  the  case,  I  owe  it  to 
myself  to  be  severe.  From  my  self-judgment  there 
can  be  no  appeal.  Whether  social  judgment  brings 
me  shame  or  joy  will  depend  upon  its  agreement  with 
self-judgment.  If  my  heart  condemns  me,  every  ap- 
proving word  will  be  a  barbed  and  poisoned  arrow. 
If  my  heart  justifies  me,  the  scorn  of  a  world  will 
not  make  me  cringe.  With  Paul  and  Silas  I  may 
sing  in  the  inner  prison  ;  with  Stephen  my  face  may 
shine  as   an   angel's   though   I   be   doomed   to   death. 

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THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

No  one  can  judge  me  except  myself.  And  myself  I 
must  judge.  I  know  whether  I  wear  a  mask  or  not; 
I  know  whether  I  am  honest  or  a  hypocrite;  and  that 
knowledge  must  and  will  determine  the  only  judgment 
which  can  be  valid  for  me.  From  myself  I  cannot 
hide.  With  myself  I  must  always  be.  No  solitude 
can  destroy  that  close  and  eternal  companionship. 
And,  therefore,  I  should  be  severe  with  myself.  Such 
severity  in  self-judgment  is  the  first  step  in  salvation. 
I  must  acknowledge  my  sin.  I  must  bow  to  the  law 
which  condemns  me.  I  must  make  its  sentence  my 
own.  I  must  will  what  the  law  wills,  both  when  it 
conmiands  purity  in  the  inward  parts  and  when  it 
condemns  me.  For  not  until  I  do  that  will  the  law 
step  aside  and  leave  me  face  to  face  with  Christ,  who 
alone  can  save  me.  And  as  soon  as  I  do  that,  the 
law  no  longer  blocks  my  way,  but  steps  aside,  that 
Christ  may  deal  with  me.  Forbearance  is  out  of  place 
when  we  deal  with  ourselves.  That  is  self-deception. 
The  one  thing  we  can  do,  and  must  do,  is  to  confess 
our  sin,  that  God  in  His  righteousness,  and  through 
Christ,  may  forgive  and  cleanse  us. 

The  moral  severity  which  should  determine  self- 
judgment  cannot  be  our  rule  in  our  judgment  of 
others.  Here  forbearance  must  be  the  rule.  We  must 
attribute  no  goodness  to  ourselves  of  which  we  are 
not  certain.  We  must  attribute  no  wickedness  to 
others  of  which  we  are  not  certain.  We  must  esteem 
others  as  better  than  we  know  ourselves  to  be,  simply 
because  they  may  be,  in  spite  of  appearances.  For 
appearances  are  deceptive.  "What?"  you  say,  "am 
I  to  assume  that  the  criminal  may  be  a  better  man 

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THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

than  myself,  or  as  good  a  man  as  myself?"  Why  not? 
Appearances  are  against  him,  and  the  civil  law  must 
judge  by  appearances.  But  suppose  you  go  behind 
appearances.  Jesus  says  that  hatred  is  murder.  If 
there  were  no  hatred  there  would  be  no  murder.  If 
there  were  no  covetousness  there  would  be  no  steal- 
ing. Have  you  never  hated?  Have  you  never 
coveted?  An  old-time  London  preacher  used  to  say 
whenever  he  saw  a  criminal  led  to  the  scaffold :  "There 
I  go  but  for  the  grace  of  God."  He  meant  it,  and 
said  it  with  choking  tears  of  pity  and  shame.  How 
much  do  we  know  of  the  worst  of  men?  What  do 
we  know  of  their  ancestral  inheritance,  of  their 
poisoned  blood,  of  their  degrading  and  brutalizing 
surroundings?  Thirty  years  have  passed  since  I  read 
this  sentence:  "He  is  the  best  man  who  makes  the 
best  fight."  I  have  never  forgotten  it.  And  often  I 
think  that  in  the  slums  there  is  harder  fighting  than 
in  the  palaces.  I  think  that  if  Christ  should  part  the 
sheep  and  the  goats,  this  day,  in  our  city,  we  would  all 
be  amazed,  ashamed,  if  not  indignant.  Amazed  and 
ashamed  we  certainly  would  be,  though  not  one  of  us 
could  be  indignant,  for  His  judgment  would  be  right- 
eous judgment.  Do  I  say  this  to  excuse  vice?  Do 
I  say  it  in  hostile  criticism  of  our  courts?  Far  from 
it.  They  must  judge  by  such  evidence  as  they  can 
secure.  But  no  civil  procedure  can  go  down  far 
enough.  God  may  save  harlots  and  murderers  where 
society  cannot.  We  reap  as  we  sow;  but  mixed  with 
the  tares  there  may  be  wheat,  but  we  cannot  separate 
them.  And  I  am  bound  to  think  of  my  fellow  men 
as  well  as  I  can,  to  deal  with  them  in  the  spirit  of 

241 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

forbearance,  that  the  good  which  is  in  them  may  not 
be  wholly  checked.  I  must  not  cloak  any  sin,  nor  ex- 
cuse any  sinner ;  but  for  even  the  worst  I  must  remem- 
ber that  Christ  died  for  him.  Myself  I  know,  and  with 
myself  I  must  be  severe ;  others  I  do  not  know  as  I 
know  myself,  and,  therefore,  I  must  treat  others  with 
generous  forbearance. 

This  is  not  our  natural  temper.  We  are  disposed 
to  treat  others  harshly  and  ourselves  leniently.  Did 
not  our  Lord  say  something  about  a  man  whose  debt 
of  ten  thousand  talents  was  fully  canceled,  who  went 
out  and  had  another  man  arrested  and  thrust  into 
prison  who  owed  him  a  hundred  pence?  He  was 
lenient  with  himself,  merciless  with  his  fellow  man. 
Was  that  right?  How  many  of  us  stop  with  "For- 
give us  our  debts,"  without  adding  from  the  heart, 
"as  we  also  have  forgiven  our  debtors?"  The  verb  is 
in  the  perfect  tense.  We  are  supposed  already  to  have 
forgiven  those  who  have  wronged  us  when  we  pray 
to  have  our  own  sins  forgiven.  Let  us  dare  to  do  the 
right  thing;  to  exercise  forbearance  in  our  treatment 
of  others,  and  to  exercise  severity  in  our  treatment 
of  ourselves.  For  when  we  confess  our  sins  with  the 
sorrow  of  a  guilty  repentance,  the  mercy  of  Qod  in 
Jesus  Christ  blots  out  all  our  transgressions ;  and  when 
we  deal  in  gentle  forbearance  with  our  fellow  men,  we 
prove  ourselves  to  be  the  children  of  Him  who  is  good 
to  all,  and  who  would  have  all  men  to  be  saved. 


242 


THE    CHRIST    or    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

Christ  Dwelling  in  the  Heart. 

"That  Christ  may  dwell  in  your  hearts  by  faith ; 
that  ye  may  be  rooted  and  grounded  in  love,  may  be 
able  to  comprehend  with  all  saints  what  is  the  breadth, 
and  length,  and  depth,  and  height;  and  to  know  the 
love  of  Christ,  which  passeth  knowledge,  that  ye  might 
be  filled  with  all  the  fullness  of  God."  Ephesians 
iii:i7-i9. 

A  sentence  like  this  cannot  be  understood  by  severe- 
ly exact  and  scientific  analysis.  There  is  too  much 
passion  in  it.  The  clauses  are  piled  upon  each  other 
without  much  regard  to  logical  order  or  rhetorical 
completeness.  The  utterance  is  explosive,  as  is  the 
case  in  all  impassioned  prayer.  And  this  prayer  is 
one,  not  many.  Its  great  burden  is  that  the  Ephesian 
Christians  may  be  made  strong,  mature  in  character 
and  fruitful  in  service,  through  the  indwelling  of 
Christ  in  their  hearts.  Christ  dwells  in  the  heart  by 
faith ;  He  dwells  in  the  heart  which  trusts  in  Him. 
To  have  Christ  dwelling  in  the  heart  is  the  same  as  to 
be  filled  with  all  the  fullness  of  God,  because  in  Christ 
the  fullness  of  the  godhead  dwelleth  bodily.  And 
these  two  things,  again,  Christ  dwelling  in  the  heart, 
and  being  filled  with  all  the  fullness  of  God,  are  the 
same  as  knowing  the  love  of  Christ,  comprehending  its 
length  and  breadth,  and  depth  and  height.  By  so 
much  as  we  are  rooted  and  grounded,  by  faith,  in  that 
amazing  and  unspeakable  love,  we  are  filled  with  all 
the  fullness  of  God,  we  have  Christ  dwelling  in  us, 
we  are  made  strong  in  Christian  character  and  service. 
This  is  our  one  great  task,  to  make  real  to  ourselves 

243 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

the  love  of  Christ  for  us,  the  root  and  foundation  of 
our  steadfastness.  He  is  the  vine,  we  are  the  branches. 
The  idea  of  an  indwelHng  God,  or  an  indweUing 
Christ,  or  an  indwelhng  Spirit,  is  confusing  to  many. 
It  savors  of  mysticism.  I  have  often  wished  that  the 
phrase  "mystical  union"  had  never  been  coined. 
God  is  united  to  us  by  grace  in  Jesus  Christ,  by  per- 
sonal affection,  seeking  and  securing  our  salvation. 
We  are  united  to  God  and  to  Christ  by  faith,  by  the 
trust  which  God's  love  in  Christ  kindles;  which  faith 
becomes  active  in  love,  and  expresses  itself  in  glad 
and  grateful  obedience.  You  may  call  this  mystery 
and  mysticism  if  you  choose,  but  it  is  not  one  whit 
more  mysterious  and  mystical  than  the  way  in  which 
mother  and  child  act  and  react  upon  each  other.  They, 
too,  live  in  each  other,  by  love  and  by  faith,  and  where 
the  faith  is  living  and  fervent  the  child  comes  to  be 
filled  with  all  the  mother's  fullness.  We  observe  every 
day  how  strong  souls  shape  weak  souls,  by  the  self- 
sacrificing  love  which  dwells  in  the  strong,  and  by 
the  fearless  surrender  which  dwells  in  the  weak.  In 
love  the  soul  gives  itself,  and  in  faith  or  trust  the 
soul  gives  itself.  The  love,  which  is  sacrifice,  gives 
itself  to  others,  belongs  to  the  highest  grades  of  life; 
it  is  the  passion  and  prerogative  of  the  noblest  men 
and  women.  The  faith  or  trust  by  which  the  soul 
gives  itself  to  the  shaping  guidance  of  another  lies 
at  the  heart  of  all  growth  in  wisdom  and  goodness. 
All  must  be  learners,  though  all  may  not  be  teachers ; 
and  no  one  needs  to  be  so  diligent  and  earnest  a  learner 
as  the  teacher.  All  must  be  saved,  though  not  all  may 
have  the  equipment  of  saviors ;  and  no  one  needs  sal- 

244 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

vation  so  much  as  he  who  undertakes  to  save  others. 
One  must  be  bullet-proof  to  save  others  from  death. 
It  comes  to  this  at  last — God  and  my  soul ;  God  the 
great  and  only  teacher ;  all  of  us  pupils  in  His  school. 
One  is  our  master,  and  all  of  us  on  the  benches.  God 
must  save  us  by  His  grace ;  in  Him  and  in  Christ  it  is 
love  v^hich  constitutes  the  bond  of  union. 

We  are  saved  by  surrendering  ourselves  to  that 
grace ;  with  us  it  is  faith  which  constitutes  the  bond 
of  union,  a  faith  which  His  love  awakens  and  justifies. 
So  that  it  comes  to  this:  to  know  the  love  of  Christ, 
which  passeth  knowledge,  to  comprehend  its  dimen- 
sions, its  length,  breadth,  depth  and  height,  is  the 
one  secret  of  Christian  peace  and  power.  In  the  lan- 
guage of  another,  from  whom  we  should  not  have 
expected  it,  the  fiery  Jude:  "Keep  yourselves  in  the 
love  of  God."  God's  love  for  you !  Make  that  your 
refuge  and  banqueting  hall !  Only  remember  that  this 
love  of  God  is  not  easy-going  indulgence.  It  is  sword, 
hammer  and  consuming  fire.  It  is  a  refiner's  furnace. 
The  will  of  God  which  makes  His  love  effective  is 
our  sanctification,  our  salvation  from  sin,  our  estab- 
lishment in  lowliness.  If  we  estimate  aright  this  love 
of  God  in  Christ,  its  passionate  intensity  to  make  us 
pure  will  awe  us  while  it  makes  us  sing  and  shout 
in  the  certainty  of  victory.  We  shall  rejoice  with 
trembling. 

From  whatever  angle  this  love  of  Christ  is  regarded, 
it  is  unspeakable.  It  is  unspeakable  in  its  length.  It 
had  no  beginning;  it  knows  no  break;  it  has  no  end. 
The  mercy  of  the  Lord  is  from  everlasting  to  ever- 
lasting.    It  is  unspeakable  in  its  breadth.     It  includes 

245 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

each  and  all.  It  is  like  a  benediction  upon  every  soul. 
It  is  unspeakable  in  its  depth.  It  saves  to  the  utter- 
most. And  it  is  unspeakable  in  its  height.  It  makes 
us  joint  heirs  with  Christ,  kings  and  priests  with  God 
forever. 

The  great  epistle  to  the  Ephesians  contains  Paul's 
doctrine  of  the  Christian  Church.  She  has  a  divine 
calling.  Her  one  task  is  to  make  known  the  manifold 
wisdom  of  God,  to  proclaim  the  unsearchable  riches 
of  His  grace,  to  teach  men  the  unspeakable  love  of 
Christ.  No  other  organization  is  equipped  for  such  a 
service.  And  by  the  church  nothing  else  is  taught. 
By  the  Word,  by  the  sacraments,  by  preaching,  prayer 
and  praise,  the  love  of  God  in  Christ  is  the  ever- 
recurring  and  inexhaustible  theme.  This  is  the  ban- 
ner under  which  we  march.  No  wonder,  then,  that 
we  are  reminded  that  we  shall  know  the  love  of  Christ, 
but  if  we  comprehend  it  "with  all  the  saints,"  if  we 
join  ourselves  to  those  who  make  that  love  their  watch- 
word and  support.  Many  are  the  prophets  whose 
siren  voices  allure  us.  It  is  well  that  there  should  be 
one  voice  which  speaks  for  God  and  of  Him,  for  Him 
and  of  Him  only,  telling  us  of  His  majesty.  His  might 
and  His  mercy.  Not  one  of  us  can  afford  to  lose  that 
message  of  warning  and  of  promise.  Many  are  the 
schools  in  which  instruction  is  given  for  the  proper 
mastery  of  ourselves,  and  of  the  great  world  in  which 
we  are  called  to  act  our  part.  It  is  well  that  there 
should  be  one  school,  and  one  great  text-book,  giving 
instruction  in  matters  which  concern  the  character  of 
God  and  our  eternal  relations  to  Him.  Such  a  school  is 
the  Christian  Church.     Such  a  text-book  is  the  Bible. 

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THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

Neglect  of  the  Christian  assembly  brings  irretrievable 
loss.  For  knowledge,  for  the  most  part,  is  a  social 
product.  Corporation  is  the  condition  of  its  exactness 
and  of  its  progress.  Students  correct  and  stimulate 
each  other.  Astronomers,  chemists,  physicians,  law- 
yers, economists  work  together.  They  form  them- 
selves into  guilds  or  associations,  exchanging  views  by 
personal  interviews  or  by  correspondence.  Such  a 
guild  or  association  is  the  Christian  Church,  in  the 
multitude  of  whose  counselors  there  is  wisdom. 

We  make  too  much  of  the  discordant  utterances  in 
Christendom.  They  could  easily  be  matched  in  any 
congress  of  scientists,  or  philosophers,  or  politicians. 
We  make  too  little  of  the  fundamental  Christian  ar- 
guments. All  differences  vanish  when  the  love  of 
God  in  Christ  commands  attention.  The  Cross  sub- 
dues us  all— Greek,  Roman,  Protestant.  Here  we  all 
meet  and  confirm  each  other  in  the  ancient  faith.  Iso- 
lation is  weakness.  Fellowship  is  strength.  United 
we  stand,  divided  w^e  fall.  It  is  not  the  church  which 
saves.  But  the  church  is  the  communion  of  saints. 
It  is  not  church  membership  which  makes  one  a  Chris- 
tian. It  is  faith  in  Christ,  personal  trust  in  Him  and 
surrender  to  Him  which  make  one  a  Christian.  But 
church  membership  openly  confesses  and  registers 
that  faith  in  Christ.  It  is  an  awful  mockery  where 
that  faith  is  absent.  But  when  that  faith  is  present, 
honesty  demands  its  confession,  and  in  the  very  act 
of  confession  the  faith  is  deepened  and  strcngtlicned. 
For  what  we  believe  in  our  hearts  we  should  declare 
with  our  lips.  And  membership  in  the  church  does 
more  than  commit  us  personally  and  publicly  to  Christ. 

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THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

It  introduces  us  into  the  great  brotherhood  of  Chris- 
tian disciples,  and  this  brotherhood  is  a  means  of 
grace.  It  helps  us  to  stand  where,  otherwise,  we  would 
stumble  and  fall. 

It  was  not  an  empty  form  this  morning  ( Communion 
Sunday,  February  5,  1900)  when  we  all  rose  to  our 
feet  welcoming  the  new  recruits  into  our  ranks,  so 
many  of  them  from  our  own  homes.  We  are  glad  to 
enroll  your  names  in  this  family  of  Christ.  The  love 
of  Christ  brought  you  here.  In  that  love  may  you  be 
rooted  and  grounded,  growing  in  your  knowledge  of 
its  length,  and  breadth,  and  depth,  and  height,  that 
you  may  be  strong  in  Christian  character  and  fruitful 
in  Christian  service.  We  are  none  of  us  here  because 
we  are  perfect.  We  are  here  because  Christ  loved  us 
and  gave  Himself  for  us,  and  because  we  have  an- 
swered His  love  by  giving  Him  our  hearts.  We  are 
here  because  we  want  to  be  perfect,  and  because  we 
can  become  perfect  only  in  and  through  Christ. 

I  can  but  believe  that  many  others  are  seriously 
impressed.  Almost  you  are  persuaded.  You  can 
think  of  no  reason  why  you  should  not  make  a  public 
profession  of  your  faith  in  Christ  as  your  personal 
Saviour.  Let  your  heart  have  its  way.  Do  not,  I 
entreat  you,  delay.  Christ  says  to  you :  ''Come  to  Me ; 
Give  Me  thy  heart."     Let  your  response  be: 

Just  as  I  am  without  one  plea, 
But  that  Thy  blood  was  shed  for  me. 
And  that  Thou  bid'st  me  come  to  Thee, 
O,  Lamb  of  God,  I  come ! 

That   is   the    faith    which   makes   eternal   life   your 
248 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

own.  Some  of  you,  T  fear,  liavc  delaycfl  many  years. 
I  wonder  that  the  fire  still  burns  in  your  heart.  It  stirs 
you  even  as  I  speak.  Christ  has  not  withdrawn  from 
you,  and  you  have  not  rejected  Him.  That  you  dare 
not  do.  That  you  would  not  think  of  doing.  No ; 
every  one  of  you  wants  Him  on  your  bed  of  death. 
Come  to  Him  now ! 


Last  Ministerial  Anniversary. 
Sunday,  February  25,  1900. 

Forty-three  years  have  nearly  passed  since  Jesus 
Christ  laid  His  hand  upon  my  heart  and  gave  me  His 
peace.  Nearly  thirty-five  years  have  gone  since  I  as- 
sumed the  duties  of  the  Christian  ministry.  Nearly 
half  of  that  time  has  been  spent  in  the  service  of  this 
church,  for  this  day  completes  seventeen  years  of  my 
present  pastorate.  These  years  have  been  years  of 
searching  and  sifting.  They  have  been  years  of  mental 
stress  and  strain.  But  at  the  end  of  forty-three  years  of 
Christian  discipleship,  after  thirty-five  years  of  minis- 
terial activity,  after  seventeen  years  of  pastoral  service 
among  you,  I  can  say,  with  Paul,  and  I  am  glad  that 
I  can  say  it,  'T  know  whom  I  have  believed." 

After  all  these  years,  my  faith  in  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures as  the  divinely  authenticated  record  of  God's 
redeeming  action  remains  undisturbed.  I  have 
not  been  ignorant  of,  nor  have  I  been  indififerent  to, 
the  critical  debate  of  these  years.  I  have  listened  to 
all  that  friend  and  foe  have  had  to  say,  and  I  have 
not  been  consciously  or  intentionally  unfair.     Cautious 

249 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

J  have  been,  and,  for  accnrale  knowledge,  caution  is 
imperative.  I  am  free  to  say  that  the  assumptions 
and  the  methods  of  the  critics  have  not  appealed  to 
my  confidence.  There  is  so  much  that  is  fanciful  and 
artificial  in  their  procedure  that  I  cannot  regard  them 
as  safe  guides.  And  in  all  the  sharpness  of  the  debate, 
one  fact  has  remained  fixed,  namely :  that  Jesus  Christ 
and  Paul  used  exactly  the  same  Old  Testament  w^hich 
I  read.  For  them  it  v^as  already  old  and  authoritative. 
Tradition  is  not  infallible.  But  a  uniform  tradition 
carries  more  v^eight  in  it  than  a  literary  guess.  I 
cannot  believe  that  Deuteronomy  is  a  pious  forgery 
of  a  late  age;  I  cannot  believe  that  the  Pentateuch  is 
a  collection  of  legends  and  of  manufactured  history 
to  give  sanction  to  late  priestly  legislation ;  I  cannot 
believe  that  the  Psalter  contains  few,  if  any,  of  David's 
hymns.  I  can  understand  that  the  critical  and  literary 
judgment  of  Christ's  day  may  not  have  been  infallible 
in  all  details,  but  I  cannot  believe  that  He  and  His 
contemporaries  were  the  victims  of  wholesale  fraud 
and  deception.  Certainly,  so  far  as  the  New  Testa- 
ment is  concerned,  the  trustworthiness  and  truthful- 
ness of  the  record  is  beyond  successful  impeachment. 
Zahn's  great  work,  just  from  the  press,  makes  that 
clear.  And  that  indirectly  guarantees  the  trustworthi- 
ness and  truthfulness  of  the  older  record.  In  both  of 
them  we  may  trace  the  story  of  what  God  has  done  for 
the  salvation  of  fallen  men. 

Let  me  hasten  to  add,  that  the  Scriptures  impress 
me  most  profoundly  when  I  withdraw  from  all  criti- 
cal questions,  when  I  let  them  speak  to  my  waiting 
heart  in  their  own  way.     There  is  in  them  a  moral 

250 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

earnestness  which  makes  me  tremble.  There  is  in 
them  an  emphasis  of  righteousness  which  fills  me  with 
awe.  There  is  in  them  a  passion  for  holiness  which 
makes  me  cry  out  in  agony.  There  is  in  them  a  fear- 
less honesty  and  completeness  of  confession  of  moral 
weakness  and  wickedness  which  compels  my  assent. 
I  am  what  they  picture  me.  I  ought  to  be  what  they 
summon  me  to  be.  And  there  is  in  them  so  clear  a 
revelation  of  the  saving  grace  of  God  in  Jesus  Christ, 
that  my  heart  responds  to  it  with  an  unutterable  eager- 
ness. They  shine  in  their  own  light.  They  speak  in 
their  own  tongue.  When  I  deal  with  them  in  this 
simple,  straightforward  way,  I  am  sure  that  they  are 
able  to  make  me  wise  unto  salvation,  that  holy  men 
of  God  spake  as  they  were  moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost. 
The  letter  still  killeth,  whether  it  be  the  letter  of 
scholastic  theology  or  the  letter  of  minute  criticism. 
In  both  directions  you  can  make  dissection  end  in 
death.  The  Spirit  maketh  alive,  and  the  quickening 
spirit  is  what  we  want;  the  Spirit  who  makes  the 
face  of  Christ  so  luminous  that  we  see  only  Him, 
and  all  things  in  Him.  It  was  a  true  note  which 
Moody  struck  when  he  said  that  all  the  theology  and 
religion  he  wanted  was  in  Christ's  own  words :  "Come 
unto  Me  and  I  will  give  you  rest."  In  that  simple  and 
sweet  message  the  Holy  Ghost  speaks  and  works ;  and 
the  more  closely  we  adhere  to  the  majesty  of  the  gospel 
the  better  will  it  be  for  us,  and  for  all.  This  doc- 
trine of  the  Holy  Ghost,  leading  us  into  all  truth, 
and  by  it  convincing  the  world,  has  come  to 
mean,  for  nic,  that  Jesus  Christ  is  the  Gospel  of  Sal- 
vation,   and    that    wherever    Christ    is    preached    God 

251 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

is  at  work  saving  men.  Onr  sole  anxiety  should  be 
to  make  Christ  known.  That  is  our  whole  duty.  We 
do  not  need  to  act  as  His  advocates.  The  Holy  Spirit 
will  take  care  of  that.  And  when  we  make  Christ 
known,  we  must  rest  in  the  assurance  that  the  Holy 
Spirit  is  owning  and  enforcing  our  message.  Men 
are  not  argued  into  religion.  But  Christ  wins  them. 
We  are  in  danger  of  forgetting  that.  An  iron  logic 
leaves  me  hard  and  cold  as  steel.  But  when  you  tell 
me  who  Jesus  is,  and  what  He  has  done  for  you  and 
for  me,  my  heart  dissolves  in  thankfulness  and  tears. 
In  that  message  the  Holy  Spirit  works.  And  that  is 
always  the  message  which  monopolizes  our  speech 
when  the  Holy  Spirit  has  His  way.  We  pray  for  the 
baptism  of  the  Spirit.  It  may  be  a  selfish  and  am- 
bitious prayer.  Simon  asked  for  that,  and  Peter  de- 
nounced him.  He  wanted  the  gift  for  personal  gain. 
And  we  may  be  as  selfish  as  he.  The  gift  is  bestowed 
where  mind  and  heart  are  captive  to  Jesus  Christ. 
Let  us  continue  to  tell  the  story  of  His  love,  and  never 
grow  weary  of  it!  For  to  be  able  to  say,  with  Paul: 
"I  know  whom  I  have  believed,"  though  we  be  igno- 
rant of  all  else,  is  better  than  to  have  all  other  knowl- 
edge and  not  be  able  to  say  this.  For  this  is  the  faith 
that  overcometh  the  world. 


The  Spiritual  Body. 

We  must  guard  against  the  idea  that  the  spiritual 
body  is  composed  of  the  same  material  particles  which 
constitute   the   animal    or   earthly   body.      The    resur- 

252 


THE    CHRIST    OP    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

rection  of  the  body  does  not  mean  the  coming  forth 
of  that  body  which  is  laid  away  in  the  grave.  That 
goes  to  dust  and  ashes.  The  body  of  your  earthly 
possessions  is  a  constantly  vanishing  organism.  Not 
one  of  its  particles,  so  far  as  we  know,  holds  the  secret 
of  permanence.  The  body  is  always  in  the  pangs  of 
birth  and  in  the  throes  of  death.  It  has  changed  a 
score,  a  hundred,  times  before  the  head  is  pillowed 
in  the  casket.  The  body  of  childhood  has  long  since 
vanished;  why  should  we  imagine  that  the  present 
material  particles  are  any  more  sacred  and  indispensa- 
ble? God  is  not  so  poor,  and  we  are  not  so  poor  that 
He  must  take  this  threadbare  and  wornout  garment, 
patch  it  up  and  scour  it  that  we  may  wear  it  here- 
after and  forever.  No ;  the  white  robes  of  heaven  are 
not  made  up  of  the  rags  of  earth.  So  we  are  taught 
in  the  New  Testament.  The  present  body  is  likened 
to  a  seed.  It  is  not  quickened  except  it  die.  But  God 
giveth  it  a  resurrection  body — a  body  in  the  growing 
blade  of  green,  which  leaves  the  husk  to  be  dissipated. 
There  is  a  sloughing  off  and  a  putting  on.  Paul  con- 
ceives of  a  quickening  process,  going  in  the  very  act 
and  experience  of  death,  in  virtue  of  which  the  mortal 
body  ceases  to  have  any  further  meaning  or  use.  It 
has  been  cast  off  for  ever. 

This  would  seem  to  involve  the  further  inference 
that  death  and  resurrection  are  not  so  far  apart,  in 
point  of  time,  as  we  have  been  apt  to  think.  In  a  grain 
of  wheat  death  is  not  one  thing  and  resurrection  an- 
other. The  two  processes  are  inseparable.  In  dying, 
the  seed  rises  into  its  nobler  form.  May  wc  affirm  this 
of  our  own  death  ?    There  is  an  increasing  disposition 

253 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

to  do  this,  to  make  death  and  resurrection  simulta- 
neous. As  soon  as  the  rags  of  earth  fall  off,  the  royal 
purple  wraps  us  round.  There  is  much  to  be  said  in 
support  of  the  idea,  that  in  the  New  Testament  the 
resurrection  is  represented  as  a  rare  process,  culmi- 
nating in  Christ's  advent ;  but  that  the  individual  resur- 
rection is  at  the  instant  of  death.  The  fifth  chapter 
of  Second  Corinthians  seems  incapable  of  any  other 
explanation ;  for  the  statement  is  very  emphatic  that 
when  our  present  tabernacle  collapses  in  death,  we 
have  a  house  of  God,  not  made  with  hands,  eternal  in 
the  heavens.  Here  the  resurrection  is  pictured  as 
following  immediately  upon  death,  so  that  the  soul 
is  not  left  unclothed  and  naked.  There  are  many  pas- 
sages, however,  where  the  resurrection  is  located  at 
the  end  of  the  world,  as  preceding  the  universal  and 
final  judgment.  This  has  always  been,  and  still  re- 
mains, a  perplexity.  We  must  assume  that  both  repre- 
sentations were  intended  to  be  combined.  There  is 
the  same  twofold  description  of  the  second  coming 
of  Christ,  and  of  the  final  judgment.  Some  passages 
make  the  coming  of  Christ  an  event  in  the  future ; 
others  make  it  present  and  continuous.  It  is  both. 
He  is  always  coming.  Some  passages  locate  the 
judgment  in  the  future;  other  passages  make  the  judg- 
ment present  and  continuous,  while  other  passages 
make  it  follow  immediately  upon  the  death  of  the  in- 
dividual. The  final  judgment,  like  the  coming  of 
Christ,  is  a  process,  present  and  continuous,  not  an 
isolated,  a  spectacular,  (hstant,  future,  event.  So  we 
may  say  of  the  resurrection,  that  it  is  a  process,  com- 
pleted at  the  end  of  the  world,  as  soon  as  death  has 

-^54 


THE    CHRIST    OP    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

claimed  its  last  victim,  but  that  it  takes  place  for  each 
individual  upon  the  very  bed  of  death. 

We  may  well  speak  with  bated  breath  here.  1  have 
hesitated  many  years ;  but  it  grows  upon  me  more  and 
more,  that  death  is  only  the  negative  side  of  a  process 
of  which  the  resurrection  is  the  positive  side.  Death 
is  the  prelude  of  resurrection.  What  a  solemn  and 
glorious  thing  it  is  to  die,  if  upon  our  death-bed  God 
robes  us !  Only  let  us  hold  fast  to  one  thing — the 
resurrection  of  the  body  is  a  peculiar  and  distinctive 
fact.  It  must  not  be  identified  with  the  immortality  of 
the  soul.  Each  Easter  season  brings  to  the  surface 
the  notion  that  the  two  are  equivalent.  They  are  not. 
They  are  distinct,  and  they  are  also  inseparable.  There 
is  a  subtle  contempt  for  a  material  body  in  a  good 
deal  of  modern  thought,  just  as  sin  is  reduced  to  the 
passion  of  animalism.  I  do  not  sympathize  with  this 
tendency.  The  human  body  is  God's  noblest  material 
work;  and  its  eternal  rescue  is  the  moral  significance 
of  the  doctrine  of  the  resurrection.  This  scepticism 
as  to  the  body,  and  its  permanent  place  in  man's  con- 
scious personality,  affects,  also,  the  interpretation  of 
our  Lord's  resurrection.  Those  who  maintain  that 
the  resurrection  of  the  body  practically  means  no 
more  than  that  the  soul  is  immortal,  also  say  that 
Christ's  resurrection  simply  means  that  His  disciples 
became  convinced  that  He  was  still  alive.  I  confess 
that  I  find  it  difficult  to  treat  such  a  statement  serious- 
ly. It  needs  no  elaborate  refutation.  It  was  His 
body  which  they  had  in  mind  when  they  declared  that 
He  had  risen.  Every  Pharisee  would  have  laughed 
at  them,  if  they  had  simply  meant  that  His  soul  had 

255 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

not  been  destroyed.  No  one  called  that  in  question. 
But  the  affirmative  of  His  resurrection  startled  and 
confounded  them.  There  was  the  empty  grave;  what 
had  become  of  the  body?  To  the  amazed  and  doubt- 
ing disciples  Jesus  showed  His  hands  and  His  feet. 
He  partook  of  honey  and  broiled  fish.  He  was  not 
a  ghost.  He  had  flesh  and  bones.  It  was  a  real  body 
in  which  He  appeared,  and  in  which  He  could  reveal 
the  crucifixion  marks  when  He  chose  to  do  so.  On 
the  other  hand,  it  was  not  the  same  body.  He  did 
not  return  to  His  former  work.  He  did  not  go  back 
to  the  temple.  He  did  not  lodge  again  at  Bethany. 
They  knew  Him  not  when  He  walked  by  their  side. 
They  did  not  even  recognize  His  voice.  Through  the 
barred  doors  He  came  to  them.  He  was  the  same,  yet 
not  the  same.  Even  Mary  was  no  longer  allowed  to 
clasp  and  kiss  His  feet.  Here  again,  as  in  Paul's 
chapter  on  the  resurrection,  are  the  two  sides  of  the 
great  miracle  and  mystery. 

The  grave  was  empty.  The  body  was  gone.  He 
had  resumed  it,  leaving  only  the  grave  clothes  and  the 
napkin,  carefully  folded  away,  as  if  in  recognition  of 
the  tenderness  with  which  loving  hands  had  ministered 
to  His  lifeless  body,  and  yet,  in  resuming  it,  some- 
how, the  old  body  had  faded  away  and  had  been  re- 
solved into  another  body,  incorruptible  and  immortal. 
I  have  sometimes  wondered  whether  the  incorruptible 
body  is  so  plastic  to  thought  and  intention  that  the 
soul  can  at  will  reproduce  the  physical  image  of  any 
period.  Can  Christ  show  me  His  hands  and  feet? 
It  may  be  so.  And  it  may  be  that  herein  lies  the  pos- 
sibility and  the  certainty  of  future  recognition  of  those 

256 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

whom  we  have  known  on  earth.  The  earthly  face 
may  be  made  to  flash  upon  us  from  within  and  behind 
the  eternal  radiance!  But  however  that  may  be,  it 
was  Christ's  mortal  and  buried  body  which  was 
touched  and  transfigured  by  the  miracle  of  the  resur- 
rection. Not  a  pinch  of  dust  remained  behind  to  be 
gathered  up  by  superstitious  hands.  His  cross,  the 
napkin  that  bound  His  brow — these  are  preserved  as 
supposed  relics — but  no  one  has  presumed  to  claim  a 
bone  of  His  body.  It  vanished  forever,  beyond  all 
possible  hope  of  recovery.  In  an  instant,  that  came  to 
His  mortal  flesh  what  comes  to  our  mortal  bodies 
after  centuries  of  gradual  waste  and  dispersion.  The 
grave  held  Him  long  enough  to  prove  that  He  had 
really  died.  And  then  He  rose,  His  mortal  flesh  van- 
ishing, but  quickened  into  the  body  of  His  eternal 
glory!  That  robs  death  forever  of  its  sting,  and  the 
grave  of  its  victory.  For  the  risen  Lord  is  with  us, 
and  in  us,  when  we  come  to  die;  ready  to  invest  us 
with  the  royal  purple,  when  the  moth-eaten  and  worn- 
out  garment  drops  from  our  shoulders ! 


The  Incarnate  Christ. 
It  is  said  that  the  most  powerful  microscope  fails 
to  reveal  any  difference  in  the  structure  of  the  cells 
from  which,  respectively,  are  developed  an  oak,  a  fish, 
an  eagle,  an  elephant,  a  human  being.  It  is  impossible 
to  label  living  things  when  they  begin  to  be.  We  must 
wait  until  they  have  grown  into  their  distinctive  forms. 
The  man  who  does  not  know  the  difference  between 
a  robin  and  a  thrush  cannot  distinguish  the  eggs  from 

9 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

which  they  have  been  hatched.  Only  he  can  label  the 
eggs  who,  at  some  time,  has  seen  their  shells  break, 
liberating  their  imprisoned  occupants.  Living  things 
are  known  to  us,  not  in  their  beginnings,  but  in  their 
development  and  issue.  Self-revelation  is  the  pre- 
rogative and  law  of  all  life.  It  holds  its  own  secret, 
and  reveals  it  in  its  own  way,  and  in  its  own  time.  We 
do  not  study  the  tgg  to  understand  the  eagle,  nor  the 
acorn  to  understand  the  oak;  but  we  invest  the  ^gg 
with  what  we  know  of  the  eagle,  and  the  acorn  with 
what  we  know  of  the  oak. 


Atheism  cannot  explain  the  world.  Without  God 
there  is  no  such  thing  as  construing  the  universe  in 
terms  of  thought.  Without  the  world  we  could  have 
no  knowledge  of  God.  It  is  the  world  outside  of  us 
and  inside  of  us,  the  realm  of  matter  and  of  mind, 
which  compels  us  to  say  God ;  and  without  it  we  would 
not  even  be  able  to  say  it.  So  that,  in  the  universe, 
we  have  a  true  incarnation  of  the  thought,  and  will, 
and  life  of  God.  And  if  by  creation  God  has  made  a 
habitation  for  Himself,  shall  we  say  that  the  portals 
of  human  birth  are  closed  against  Him?  Must  He 
be  barred  from  making  a  human  body  and  soul  the 
human  seat  and  throne  of  His  personal  life?  I  know 
the  final  mystery  is  here.  Mystery — when  does  it 
begin,  and  where  does  it  end?  All  is  mystery.  You 
cannot  explain  a  blade  of  grass  without  explaining  the 
universe.  Its  very  life  is  an  unfathomable  and  un- 
fathomed  abyss. 

You  cannot  dissect  its  covering;  you  can  tear  its 

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THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

fibers  to  pieces,  but  you  cannot  sew  or  weave  them 
together  again.  Into  its  form  and  color  the  heat  of 
the  sun  has  entered,  so  that  the  blade  of  grass  lives 
and  moves  and  has  its  being  in  the  energies  of  the 
planetary  system.  The  lightning  sleeps  in  it  as  in  a 
bed  of  down.  And  our  planetary  system  lives  and 
moves  and  has  its  being  in  the  boundless  universe. 
The  universe  is  reproduced  in  a  grass  blade.  The 
earth  alone  could  not  have  made  it.  The  Sun,  and 
Sirius,  Orion  and  the  Pleiades  live  in  it.  Mystery 
is  everywhere.  The  supernatural  is  the  life  of  all 
that  we  call  natural.  It  is  because  of  this  fact  that 
intellectually  I  am  not  staggered  by  the  statement  that 
the  Babe  of  Bethlehem  was  and  continues  to  be  God 
Incarnate.  If  God  has  put  something  of  Himself  into 
a  blade  of  grass,  why  may  He  not  have  put  His  con- 
scious personal  life  into  an  infant  human  body  and 
soul?  Why  not?  ''But,"  you  will  say  to  me,  ''do  you 
mean  to  say  that  the  Babe  who  lay  in  Mary's  arms, 
the  Boy  who  went  to  the  school  and  played  in  the 
streets  of  Nazareth,  knew  Himself  to  be  God?"  No; 
I  do  not  mean  that.  For  of  Christ  it  was  true,  what 
is  true  of  every  one  of  us,  that  He  was  more  than 
He  for  many  a  year  knew  Himself  to  be.  Uncon- 
scious genius  sleeps  in  the  cradle.  It  gives  no  sign, 
and  itself  lives  in  ignorance  of  what  lies  wrapped  up 
in  hand  and  brain.  But  the  greatness  is  astir,  and 
breaks  into  expression  slowly  in  some,  suddenly  in 
others.  So  did  Christ  grow  in  stature,  in  wisdom,  in 
grace,  until  first  to  Himself,  and  then  to  others,  it 
became  clear  that  in  Him  the  Eternal  Word  had  be- 
come flesh;  that  His  glory  was  the  glory  of  the  only 

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THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

begotten  of  the  Father.  And  now  that  we  have  made 
this  amazing  discovery,  we  affirm  of  the  helpless  Babe 
that  He  is  God  Incarnate,  and  with  the  wise  men  bow 
the  knee  and  worship  Him.  It  is  our  Christian  testi- 
mony that  God  in  the  person  of  His  Son  has  become 
Incarnate  for  us  sinners,  and  for  our  salvation.  The 
man  Christ  Jesus  was  the  Word  made  Flesh.  That 
Word  was  in  the  beginning,  and  was  God.  All 
things  were  made  by  Him.  In  Him  was  life, 
and  apart  from  Him  there  is  no  life.  Creator,  Up- 
holder, Ruler  of  the  universe  was  He,  and  con- 
tinues to  be.  This  general  fact  involves  some  very 
important  and  practical  conclusions.  I  confine  myself 
to  three.  It  gives  us  a  definite  theory  of  the  universe ; 
it  enunciates  the  true  philosophy  of  history,  and  it 
reveals  the  ground  of  human  redemption. 

It  gives  us  the  Christian  theory  of  the  universe. 
There  is  no  Christless  universe.  We  trace  all  things 
to  God.  But  we  must  also  trace  all  things  to  Jesus 
Christ.  For  Christ  is  God  revealed,  God  Incarnate, 
the  only  God  we  know.  Without  Him,  nothing  was 
made  that  is  made.  His  relation  to  the  universe  is 
not  secondary  and  casual.  It  is  creative  and  contin- 
uous. The  universe  came  into  being  by  Him  who 
cradled  in  Mary's  arms,  and  who  died  upon  the  cross. 
He  was  before  the  universe  came  into  being.  It  was 
He  whose  Spirit  brooded  over  the  primeval  darkness. 
It  was  He  who  said,  ''Let  there  be  light,  and  there  was 
light."  It  was  He  who  made  man  in  His  own  image. 
He  did  not  make  His  first  appearance  in  the  universe 
when  He  was  born  beneath  the  Syrian  stars.  He  made 
the  Syrian  stars,  and  it  was  His  own  lamp  that  led  the 

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THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

wise  men  to  His  manger.  At  the  heart  of  the  universe, 
and  upon  its  central  throne,  is  Jesus  Christ.  The  uni- 
verse is  what  He  made  it.  Upon  every  part  of  it  He 
has  stamped  the  seal  of  His  power  and  wisdom,  His 
own  image  and  superscription.  It  is  the  first  and  old- 
est of  all  the  gospels.  It  is  the  primal  incarnation  of 
His  thought  and  will.  Nothing  in  it  is  known  aright 
until  His  name  is  read.  Some  one  has  said  that  as- 
tronomy is  ''petrified  mathematics,  and  that  Jesus 
Christ  is  the  mathematician."  The  sciences  reveal 
His  glory,  for  the  materials  of  science  are  His  crea- 
tion. They  are  His  petrified  thoughts.  The  stars  are 
His,  the  sea  is  His,  the  mountains  are  His.  They  are 
His  because  He  made  them ;  and  they  are  His  that 
they  may  serve  Him  in  making  Him  known.  All 
things  proclaim  God. 

Let  us  make  the  statement  concrete — all  things 
speak  of  Jesus  Christ.  That  invests  all  things  with  a 
peculiar  and  solemn  charm.  I  do  not  need  a  cross 
of  gold  set  with  diamonds,  rubies,  emeralds,  and 
pearls,  covering  my  heart,  to  remind  me  of  the  tree 
upon  which  Christ  tasted  and  conquered  death  for  me. 
That  cross  gleams  for  me  in  the  depths  of  the  seas, 
in  the  mines  of  the  earth,  in  the  starry  spaces.  Every- 
where I  front  life  grappling  with  death,  life  sepul- 
chered  in  death,  life  overcoming  death  by  sufifering. 
The  Man  of  Sorrows  meets  me  not  only  in  Bethany 
and  in  Gethsemane ;  I  see  His  face  in  a  universe  whose 
pillars  are  cemented  and  made  strong  in  pain  and 
tears.  You  tell  me  that  Christ's  face  was  marred. 
But  does  not  nature,  "red  in  tooth  and  claw  with 
ravine,"  point  me  to  the  same  story  in  "scarped  cliff 

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THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

and  quarried  stone"  ?  And  when  Tennyson  asks,  "Are 
God  and  nature,  then,  at  strife?"  I  answer,  "No; 
creation  grows  because  Christ  grows  in  it."  The 
whole  universe  is  His  Gethsemane ;  the  whole  universe 
is  His  Calvary ;  the  whole  universe  is  His  Olivet.  He 
speaks  in  its  pain,  in  its  suffering,  in  its  death,  in  its 
eternal  struggle  for  deliverance  from  bondage.  It  is 
Christ  who  speaks  to  me  in  sunrise  and  sunset,  in 
tempest  and  rainbow,  in  lightning  and  earthquake,  in 
heat  and  cold,  in  ice  and  snow  and  hail.  The  strength 
of  the  universe  is  His  strength ;  the  order  of  the  uni- 
verse is  His  immutable  wisdom ;  the  suffering  of  the 
universe  is  His  suffering;  the  beauty  of  the  universe 
is  the  beauty  of  His  possession  and  bestowment.  Why 
did  He  speak  so  much  in  parables?  Why  did  He  use 
a  grain  of  wheat  to  illustrate  His  death?  How  could 
He  do  otherwise?  The  things  upon  which  He  based 
His  parables  were  the  things  which  He  had  made, 
and  into  which  He  had  put  His  thoughts,  and  He  only 
brought  out  what  He  had  put  in.  Therefore,  the 
dying  grain,  when  it  burst,  disclosed  His  cross. 

That  treasury  of  truth  He  did  not  exhaust  in  His 
recorded  teaching.  He  opened  the  door  for  us  to  a 
boundless  knowledge.  Whenever  we  discover  a  new 
truth,  whether  in  astronomy,  or  chemistry,  or  elec- 
tricity, or  liquefied  air,  or  biology,  we  discover  another 
eternal  thought  of  Christ.  All  science  is  Christian 
theology  at  heart.  There  is  no  conflict  between  science 
and  religion.  The  more  science,  the  more  religion. 
The  more  religion,  the  more  science.  Every  man  who 
adds  to  useful  knowledge  is  a  theologian,  and  preaches 
the  gospel  of  Christ.     It  is  Christ's  world  we  live  in, 

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THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

and  from  foundation  to  cope-stone  and  pinnacle  it  is 
vocal  with  praise.  Why  should  there  be  so  much 
suspicion  between  the  men  who  study  the  face  of 
Nature  and  the  men  who  study  the  face  of  Jesus 
Christ,  when  the  hands  of  Jesus  Christ  fashioned  what 
we  call  Nature?  It  is  pathetic  to  read  the  dying  con- 
fession of  St.  George  IMivart,  who  ached  to  be  loyal 
to  his  church,  but  could  not  play  false  with  himself: 
''I  have  no  more  leaning  to  atheism  or  agnosticism 
than  I  ever  had,  but  the  inscrutable,  incomprehensible 
energy  pervading  the  universe  (as  it  seems  to  me) 
disclosed  by  science,  differs  profoundly,  as  I  read 
Nature,  from  the  God  worshipped  by  Christians." 
Such  a  confession  should  be  impossible,  and  it  is  your 
business  and  mine  to  make  it  impossible.  We  must 
not  put  asunder  what  God  has  joined  together,  and  the 
mind  of  Christ  is  as  really  in  Nature  as  it  is  in  the 
New  Testament.  Let  us  learn  from  each  other,  and 
help  each  other,  in  wreathing  the  laurels  for  the  brow 
of  Him  who  is  both  Lord  of  Nature  and  of  Grace. 

The  Incarnation  supplies  us  with  the  Christian  phi- 
losophy of  history.  There  is  no  Christless  history.  In 
Bethlehem,  the  King  made  His  visible  appearance,  but 
He  was  King  from  everlasting.  The  Hebrew  word 
"Jehovah"  is  translated  by  Kurios  in  the  Greek,  by 
Dominus  in  the  Latin,  by  Herr  in  the  German,  and 
by  Lord  in  the  English,  and  He  who  was  made  Flesh 
is  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  The  Lord  Christ  is  none 
other  than  the  Jehovah  of  the  Old  Testament,  the 
God  of  the  Covenant,  the  Lord  revealed  in  the  grace 
of  redemption.  He  made  man  in  His  own  image,  and 
not  for  one  moment  has  He  abandoned  the  work  of 

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THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

His  hand.  He  was  the  hope  of  our  first  parents  m 
their  exile  from  Eden.  He  called  Abraham  from  the 
land  of  Ur.  He  sent  Moses  to  deliver  Israel  from 
bondage.  He  dwelt  in  the  pillar  of  cloud  and  fire. 
He  sent  the  manna  from  heaven.  It  was  His  rod 
which  made  the  waters  to  gush  from  the  flinty  rock. 
He  nerved  the  arm  of  Joshua.  He  called  David  from 
the  sheepfolds.  He  inspired  psalmists  and  prophets. 
They  all  saw  His  day,  and  that  made  them  glad.  In 
all  the  upheavals  of  those  forty  centuries,  His  pierced 
hands  held  the  reins.  It  was  one  universal  prepara- 
tion for  His  advent  in  the  Flesh.  That  ancient  history 
was  not  a  Christless  history,  not  even  when  Babylon 
was  defiant,  and  Assyria  ruled  with  a  rod  of  iron,  and 
Sodom  was  buried  beneath  the  fiery  hail.  There  are 
no  Christless  centuries,  there  are  no  Christless  nations. 
And  He  rules  in  all  history  still,  and  will  unto  the 
end.  We  speak  of  God  in  history,  of  an  increasing 
purpose  running  through  the  ages  widening  the 
thoughts  of  men  with  the  process  of  the  sun.  Let  us 
put  it  into  concrete  form.  Let  us  say  that  all  history 
is  the  work  of  Jesus  Christ.  And  so  the  historian, 
the  poet,  the  philosopher,  the  statesman,  the  patriot, 
philanthropist,  is  a  theologian,  a  preacher  of  the  gospel 
of  Jesus  Christ.  Carlyle  and  Tennyson,  Mozart  and 
Raphael,  are  apostles.  The  decay  of  nations  is  a 
solemn  warning  of  Jesus  Christ.  The  prosperity  of 
nations  is  a  blessing  of  Jesus  Christ.  That  gives  us 
faith  for  the  future,  the  certainty  that  Christian  civil- 
ization will  subdue  and  hold  the  round  globe.  For  the 
generations  of  men  are  Christ's,  as  are  the  stars.  He 
made  them  and  they  march  under  His  captaincy. 

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THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

The  Incarnation  constitutes  the  basis  of  the  Chris- 
tian doctrine  of  redemption.  There  is  no  Christless 
universe.  There  is  no  Christless  history.  And  there 
is  no  Christless  redemption.  On  that  point  I  need 
not  linger.  The  name  of  Jesus  Christ  is  "the  only 
name  given  under  heaven  whereby  man  must  be 
saved."  That  stands  fast,  insoluble  as  the  mystery 
may  seem  to  be.  But  it  may  help  us  to  understand 
why  a  sinless  man  can  suffer  and  die  for  the  sinful ; 
and  must  so  suffer  and  die,  when  we  remember  that 
we  all  were  created  by  Him,  and  that  in  Him  we  all 
live  and  move.  I  presume  you  have  asked  the  ques- 
tion a  hundred  times,  "How  can  any  one  be  my  repre- 
sentative and  substitute?  How  can  any  one  bear  the 
penalty  of  my  sin  and  save  me?  ^last  not  the  law 
of  God  deal  with  me,  and  with  me  only?"  And  I 
must  grant  you  right  in  your  argument.  Sin,  guilt 
and  penalty  are  not  transferable.  The  law  forbids 
such  transfer.  Representation  and  substitution  there 
cannot  be  unless  we  can  find  a  natural  and  righteous 
ground  for  them.  Fictitious  and  arbitrary  arrange- 
ments cannot  be  tolerated  in  the  government  of  God. 
But  remember,  now,  that  they  for  whom  Christ  acts 
as  representative  and  for  whom  He  dies  as  substitute, 
are  they  who  have  been  created  by  Him,  and  could 
neither  act  nor  be  were  it  not  for  Him.  He  is  re- 
sponsible for  our  being — He  alone;  and  if  we  had  no 
being,  we  could  not  sin. 

We  may  say  that  Christ  is  responsible  to  the  Father 
for  the  existence  of  a  race  which  lies  under  the  penalty 
of  eternal  death  because  of  its  sin.  It  is,  therefore, 
with  Christ  that  God  must  deal,  as  well  as  with  each 

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THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

individual  sinner ;  and  He  must  deal  with  each  individ- 
ual sinner  in  Christ,  to  whom  every  sinner  owes  his 
being.  God,  and  God  alone,  is  responsible  for  my 
existence;  though  I,  and  I  alone,  am  responsible  for 
my  sin,  because  He  has  made  me  free.  His  eternal 
justice,  therefore,  binds  Him  to  do  two  things — to 
hold  me  to  strict  account  for  the  sin  which  is  mine, 
and  mine  alone,  and  to  hold  Himself  to  strict  account 
for  creating  me.  I  cannot  bring  Him  to  bar.  The 
universe  cannot  do  that.  But  unless  He  brings  Him- 
self to  bar.  He  dishonors  Himself.  He  must  make 
me  bear  the  full  weight  of  my  burden,  and  He  must 
bear  the  full  weight  of  His  burden.  My  burden  is  my 
sin;  His  burden  is  my  soul,  with  all  my  sins  upon  it. 
He  is  responsible  for  my  being,  and,  therefore,  He  is 
under  obligation  to  do  His  utmost  to  prevent  my  ruin 
and  to  save  me.  The  grace  which  saves  is  free  and 
undeserved ;  but  it  is  as  necessary  and  eternal  as  the 
justice  of  God.  He  might  fling  me  away  into  the 
outer  darkness,  without  one  thought  or  act  of  com- 
passion; but  in  that  outer  darkness  I  should  charge 
Him  with  the  most  cruel  injustice.  For  I  am  the 
work  of  His  hands,  and  He  must  bear  me  to  remain 
true;  and  in  bearing  me  He  must  bear  my  sins. 

Jesus  Christ,  therefore,  as  God  manifest  in  the  flesh, 
only  steps  into  His  own  place  when  He  steps  into  my 
place,  because  I  have  no  place  except  such  as  I  hold 
by  His  will;  nor  does  He  vacate  His  place  when  He 
gives  me  mine.  It  is  His  still.  No  covenant  agree- 
ment is  needed.  The  eternal  fitness  of  things  makes 
Him  the  only  responsible  representative,  the  only  pos- 
sible substitute,  the  only  Sacrifice  and  Saviour.     The 

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THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

relations  between  Him  and  us  are  more  vital  than 
the  relations  between  a  mother  and  her  unborn  babe. 
We  live  only  in  Him.  His  place  is  the  place  which 
covers  each  several  place  of  all  earth's  millions.  If 
disease  strikes  us,  it  must  strike  Him,  for  we  are 
rooted  in  Him.  If  death  claims  us,  it  must  claim  Him, 
because  we  are  rooted  in  Him.  He  alone,  as  the  re- 
sponsible author  of  our  being,  can  render  satisfaction, 
and  bring  in  an  everlasting  redemption.  No  other 
mediation  can  be  accepted,  and  His  mediation  must 
be  accepted.  You  see,  there  is  no  arbitrary  transfer 
here.    It  is  all  as  it  must  be.    It  cannot  be  otherwise. 

The  sinless  one  bears  the  burden  of  the  world's 
sin,  the  innocent  one  suffers  the  stripes  due  to  the 
guilty,  simply  because  the  sinless  and  innocent  one 
is  He  to  whom  the  sinful  and  the  guilty  owe  their 
being,  in  whom  their  very  existence  is  rooted.  It  was 
long  before  this  truth  dawned  upon  me,  and  even  now 
my  grasp  upon  it  is  often  weak.  It  is  so  amazing. 
But  it  is  the  very  heart  of  wdiat  the  New  Testament 
has  to  say  about  Jesus  Christ.  It  lies  upon  gospel  and 
epistle  as  the  Milky  Way  upon  the  vault  of  blue.  He 
is  no  other  than  the  Light  and  the  Life  of  all  men, 
by  whom  all  men  were  created,  in  whose  image  and 
for  whom  all  men  were  fashioned.  He  must  stand 
and  fall  with  the  race  which  He  has  called  into  exist- 
ence. And  when  He  undertakes  to  save  us  He  must 
endure  all  that  falls  upon  us,  for  He  and  we  cannot  be 
torn  asunder.  His  sufferings  and  death  are  penal ; 
they  can  be  nothing  else.  His  sufferings  and  death 
are  substitutionary;  they  can  be  nothing  else.  His 
sufferings  and  death  exhaust  all  penalty ;  it  must  be 

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THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

so.  His  sufferings  and  death  endured,  must  release 
us  from  the  condemnation  of  the  law;  so  that  I  must 
fall  from  grace  and  cut  myself  loose  from  Christ 
to  be  lost. 

Do  I,  then,  preach  universal  salvation?  No;  I  do 
not,  and  cannot.  For  as  Dr.  Williams  said:  "Worlds 
seen  and  unseen  cannot  save  a  man,  nor  damn  a  man, 
without  his  own  consent."  There  is  a  divine  uni- 
versalism,  the  universalism  of  Christ  and  of  Paul,  the 
universalism  of  grace.  You  may  think,  if  you  choose, 
of  this  world  as  apart  from  Christ,  and  then  it  is  a 
hopelessly  lost  world.  But  there  is  no  such  world. 
Christ  is  in  the  world,  and  the  world  is  in  Christ ;  and 
that  makes  it  a  redeemed  world.  You  may  think,  if 
you  choose,  of  souls  apart  from  Christ ;  and  then  souls 
are  in  the  grasp  of  eternal  death.  But  there  are  no 
such  souls.  All  souls  are  in  Christ,  and  from  His 
hands,  and  that  makes  them  heirs  of  salvation.  But 
it  is  not  enough  that  you  be  in  Christ;  Christ  must 
also  be  in  you.  You  can  sell  your  birthright,  secured 
to  you  so  freely,  and  at  so  great  a  cost,  by  rejecting 
Him,  by  refusing  to  let  Him  live  in  you.  You  may 
trample  on  the  body  and  blood  of  your  Lord;  and 
you  must  do  it,  if  you  lose  your  soul.  And  so  I  say 
again,  that  you  must  fall  from  grace  if  you  become 
the  victim  of  eternal  death.  You  are  a  redeemed 
soul  now,  an  heir  of  holiness  and  glory ;  what  is  needed 
is  your  own  consent.  And  that  free  consent  of  yours 
is  the  one  thing  which  Christ  cannot  force. 

There  is  no  Christless  salvation.  There  never  has 
been.  Christ  is  the  Lamb  slain  from  the  foundation 
of  the  world.    There  has  never  been  an  economy  witli- 

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THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

out  atonement,  because  there  has  never  been  any 
moral  government  without  Christ.  The  Cross  on 
which  Christ  died  to  save  men,  the  Cross  of  Calvary, 
is  a  revelation  in  space  and  time  of  the  eternal  atone- 
ment. It  was  not  merely  prefigured  by  the  Old  Tes- 
tament sacrifices.  As  soon  as  man  began  to  sin,  the 
Eternal  Christ  began  to  suffer.  As  soon  as  men  began 
to  die,  Christ  began  to  feel  the  pain  of  death's  dart. 
The  sufferings  and  death,  simply  materialized,  became 
objective  and  historical,  in  Gethsemane  and  on  Cal- 
vary; but  in  principle  they  were  eternal.  Nor  have 
they  ceased  now.  Christ  still  suffers  when  we  sin. 
We  crucify  Him  afresh.  Christ  still  weeps  when  our 
sorrows  crush  us.  Christ  still  dies  when  we  die.  Only 
the  eternal  secret  is  out  at  last.  If  we  will  only  lay 
hold  upon  Him  by  faith,  if  we  will  only  let  Him  have 
His  way  with  us.  He  will  so  suffer  and  die  in  us  and 
with  us,  that  sin  shall  be  destroyed,  sorrow  shall  be 
sanctified  to  us,  and  death  shall  become  for  us  the 
open  gate  into  the  eternal  heavens ! 


Wayside  Notes  on  Bible  Criticism.* 

Proper  names  are  not  particularly  interesting  read- 
ing. No  one  turns  to  the  genealogical  tables  in  con- 
ducting family  prayers.  They  seem  to  be  utterly  use- 
less except  for  purposes  of  discipline  in  pronunciation. 
But  they  are  coming  to  play  a  large  part  in  historical 

*  From  an  address  delivered  as  a  "  Concio  ad  Clerum  "  before 
the  Yale  Divinity  Students,  at  New  Haven,  Conn.,  Sunday  even- 
ing, May  i6,  1S97. 

269 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

criticism.  There  are  a  great  many  such  names  in  the 
Priestcode,  and  they  are  very  ugly  obstructions  in  the 
path  of  those  who  drag  the  legislation  down  to  a 
late  date.  They  can  be  compared  with  the  numerous 
contract  tablets  which  have  come  to  light  in  Northern 
Babylonia,  and  these  tablets,  dating  from  the  middle 
of  the  second  millennium  B.  C,  contain  names  simi- 
larly derived  and  compounded.  And  they  are  found 
nowhere  else,  and  in  no  other  period.  The  personal 
names  of  the  Priestcode  fit  into  the  Mosaic  period, 
and  they  fit  in  no  other.  This  has  been  elaborately  set 
forth  by  Nestle  in  1876,  and  by  Hommel  in  1896.  All 
the  reply  which  Wellhausen  made  to  Nestle's  archaeo- 
logical proofs  was  to  admit  the  facts,  and  then  to  assert 
roundly  that  the  personal  names,  as  well  as  the  gen- 
eral history,  in  the  Priestcode,  ''had  been  deliberately 
manufactured  after  an  earlier  pattern !"  What  shall 
be  said  of  such  criticism?  It  ought  to  have  the  whole 
dictionary  hurled  at  its  head  for  its  insolence. 
But,  as  Hommel  well  says,  "Truth  must  in  the  end 
prevail.  The  monuments  speak  with  no  faltering 
tongue,  and  already  I  see  signs  of  the  approach  of  a 
new  era  in  which  men  will  be  able  to  brush  aside  the 
cobweb  theories  of  the  so-called  higher  critics  of  the 
Pentateuch,  and,  leaving  such  old-fashioned  errors 
behind  them,  attain  to  a  clearer  perception  of  the  real 
facts.  The  gales  of  spring  are  already  beginning  to 
sweep  across  the  fields  that  have  so  long  been  ice- 
bound." Archaeology  seems  likely  to  rout  the  critics, 
"horse,  foot  and  dragoon." 

The  two  or  more  Isaiahs  may  yet  be  recognized  as 
one ;  and,   for  myself,   I  have  little  confidence  in  the 

270 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

literary  dissection  which  gives  us  seven  or  eight 
authors  of  this  great  prophetic  book,  and  so  much 
confidence  in  the  witness  of  tradition,  that  I  do  not 
propose  to  muddle  the  heads  of  my  people  with  abor- 
tive attempts  to  reconstruct  that  part  of  the  Old  Tes- 
tament. I  do  not  need  a  critic  to  tell  me  that  David 
did  not  write  all  the  Psalms.  All  I  need  to  do  is  to  read 
the  Old  Testament  hymnal,  and  I  find  that  more  than 
half  of  them  are  either  anonymous,  or  from  other 
hands.  It  is  a  man  of  straw  which  is  riddled,  when 
we  are  told,  somewhat  pompously,  that  the  inscrip- 
tions are  not  part  of  the  text,  added  by  a  later  hand, 
and  therefore  not  inspired  and  finally  authoritative. 
But  they  are  very  old,  and  the  only  external  testimony 
which  we  have.  It  may  be  that  the  compilers  made 
mistakes  here  and  there;  but  when  Ewald  tells  me 
that  only  thirteen  Psalms  are  from  David,  and  when 
Cheyne  throws  David  out  altogether,  I  am  content 
to  endure  the  scorn  of  these  scholars,  and  take  my 
stand  with  tradition  as  more  likely  to  be  correct  than 
they.  At  all  events,  the  substantial  vindication  of 
tradition  in  the  department  of  New  Testament  litera- 
ture, as  boldly  bulletined  by  Harnack,  may  well  call 
for  a  little  more  modesty  and  reverence  in  dealing 
with  the  Old  Testament.  Harnack's  concession  seems 
to  me  the  Gettysburg  of  the  critical  campaign,  to  be 
followed  in  time  by  Appomattox. 

Another  very  significant  fact  is  the  unqualified  re- 
pudiation of  a  preconceived  philosophy  of  history,  in 
determining  the  authorship  and  date  of  professedly 
historical  documents.  This  is  the  pivotal  assumption, 
both  of  Baur  and  Wellhausen.    These  gentlemen  knew 

271 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

exactly  how  history  naust  have  made  itself.  Both  are 
disciples  of  Hegel,  and  accepted  his  theory  of  histor- 
ical evolution  as  authoritative.  History  advances,  in 
their  view,  with  the  precision  of  a  syllogism.  It  is 
simply  a  logical  evolution.  It  marches  to  the  triple 
command :  Thesis,  Antithesis,  Synthesis !  and  the  cir- 
cular spiral  movement  is  never  interrupted.  Things 
must  begin  in  a  certain  way,  and  develop  in  a  certain 
way,  and  mature  in  a  certain  way.  If  things  do  not 
begin  and  develop  and  mature  in  the  Hegelian  way — 
why,  so  much  the  worse  for  the  facts,  and  for  those 
who  recorded  them.  So  Baur  calls  out  "Thesis" — 
and  out  comes  Peter;  then  he  cries  ''Antithesis,"  and 
out  comes  Paul;  and  then  he  shouts  ''Synthesis,"  and 
out  comes  the  New  Testament  literature — the  product 
of  conflicting  tendencies  harmonized  by  a  later  age. 
But  Harnack's  hammer  leaves  not  a  vestige  of  this 
brilliant  procedure.  He  roundly  declares  that  such 
a  method  is  irrational  and  vicious,  because  no  man  can 
tell  how  history  must  shape  itself,  nor  at  what  period, 
and  in  how  many  years  revolutionary  changes  are 
brought  about.  He  calls  the  Hegelian  school  down 
from  the  clouds,  and  reminds  them  that  the  study  of 
history  is  very  prosaic  business.  He  refers  to  the 
tremendous  changes  wrought  between  15 17- 1530,  or 
between  15 17-1567,  which,  according  to  the  Hegelian 
evolution,  ought  to  have  taken  five  or  six  hundred 
years.  He  vindicates  the  productive  period  of  the  first 
forty  years,  after  the  death  of  Christ,  as  sufficient  to 
account  for  primitive  Christianity.  And  Plarnack  is 
undoubtedly  right.  For  the  one  thing  which  the 
Hegelian  theory  of  history  does  not  take  into  account 

272 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

is — personality.  It  breaks  to  pieces  upon  Luther,  and 
Paul,  and  Christ.  Given  these  personaHties,  and  the 
rapid  changes  are  intelHgible.  It  is  the  man  who  is  the 
real  miracle.  It  is  the  great  man  who  turns  the  world 
upside  down. 

Wellhausen  is  no  greater  and  no  less  a  sinner  than 
Baur.  He,  too,  starts  with  the  Hegelian  notion  of 
historical  evolution.  History  is  simply  a  logical  proc- 
ess. The  history  as  given  in  the  Old  Testament 
cannot  be  true,  simply  because  it  contradicts  the  scien- 
tific principles  of  historical  development;  and  under 
that  assumption,  the  dates  of  the  several  documents 
are  dragged  down  six  hundred  and  a  thousand  years. 
The  chronological  boundaries  must  be  broken  through 
to  make  the  theory  work,  exactly  as  Baur  did  with 
the  New  Testament.  And  if,  as  Harnack  says,  forty 
years  are  sufficient  to  account  for  primitive  Christian- 
ity, provided  you  have  Christ  and  Paul,  why  may  not 
the  forty  years  of  the  wilderness  Hfe  be  sufficient  for 
the  shaping  of  the  Old  Testament  religion,  upon 
which  the  prophets  themselves  were  dependent,  pro- 
vided you  have  Moses  as  leader?  The  drift  is  toward 
that  conclusion.  Harnack  simply  knocks  out  the  un- 
derpinning of  the  entire  structure  of  revolutionary 
criticism.  For  that  criticism,  in  the  hands  of  Well- 
hausen, reproduces  the  methods  of  Baur,  which  Har- 
nack says  have  been  discredited  and  abandoned.  In 
Kuenen's  language,  "our  dearly-bought  scientific 
method"  compels  us  to  discredit  Moses,  and  Paul, 
and  Jesus  Christ,  and  forces  us  to  regard  the  Old 
Testament  history  as  a  "web  of  deceptions  and  false- 
hoods."    Harnack  says,  in  substance :  "So  much  the 

273 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

worse  for  your  dearly-bought  scientific  method.  You 
have  paid  too  much  for  it.  The  facts  must  stand. 
Your  method  is  not  scientific  because  it  ignores  the 
facts;  and  it  is  not  radical,  because  it  does  not  go  to 
the  roots  of  the  problem.  Throw  it  away,  and  use 
your  common  sense,  which  will  lead  you  back  to  tra- 
dition." 

I  say,  in  conclusion,  that  we  may  as  well  conclude 
that  the  time  has  hardly  yet  come  to  surrender  either 
Paul  or  Moses  at  the  boisterous  demands  of  the  higher 
critics.  And  if  any  of  you  have  bought  your  tickets, 
or  are  seriously  thinking  of  buying  them,  to  join  the 
widely  advertised  and  highly  recommended  excursion 
engineered  by  Kuenen  and  Wellhausen,  who  have 
simply  patched  up  and  painted  the  old  and  dilapidated 
rolling  stock  of  Baur  and  Company,  I  advise  you  to 
change  your  mind,  and  exchange  your  coupons  while 
there  is  time  and  then  get  aboard  the  old  weather-beaten 
train,  where  Moses  is  on  the  lookout  and  Paul  grasps 
the  lever.  For  just  now  a  new  voice  has  been  heard 
in  tones  of  earnest  warning.  Roadmaster  Harnack 
has  come  along,  with  his  hammer  and  lamp,  with  his 
keen  eye  and  quick  ear,  and  as  he  strikes  the  wheels  of 
the  critical  train,  he  sends  up  word  that  every  one  of 
them  is  cracked,  unfit  for  the  contemplated  journey, 
and  doomed  to  an  early  and  disastrous  breakdown. 
If  you  are  in,  get  out,  and  don't  lose  any  time  about  it ! 
If  you  are  out,  don't  get  in !  And  Master  Harnack 
says  that  the  old  train  is  sound  and  safe ! 


274 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

Christ  Triumphant. 

The  following  fragment  is  from  a  sermon  preached 
to  his  people  by  Dr.  Behrends  on  Sunday  morning, 
February  23,  1890.  It  is  introduced  here  to  show 
the  earnest  spirit  in  which  he  prosecuted  his  work  as 
a  minister  of  Jesus  Christ. 

Text. — Jesus  answered  and  said,  This  will  come  not  because 
of  me,  but  for  your  sakes.  Now  is  the  judgment  of  this  world  : 
Now  shall  the  prince  of  this  world  be  cast  out.  And  I,  if  I  be 
lifted  up  from  the  earth,  will  draw  all  men  unto  me. — John  xiv, 
30-32. 

The  death  of  Christ  was  a  judgment  upon  the 
Roman  world,  the  world  of  the  Jew,  and  it  overthrew 
the  ideas  of  the  world  with  it.  What  was  the  world 
of  that  day?  What  was  its  piety?  Caiaphas  was  a 
representative  of  that.  What  was  its  civil  order? 
Nero  was  a  type  of  that.  There  is  your  religion  and 
politics.  All  the  civil  rule  turned  into  irresponsible 
tyranny,  and  by  these  two  men,  the  entire  and  com- 
bined authority  of  the  Roman  court,  Jesus  Christ  was 
put  to  death.  You  say  it  was  cruel?  Yes.  But  it  was 
legally  done.  It  was  legally  sanctioned  by  the  court 
of  Sanhedrin,  on  the  ground  of  blasphemy;  by  the 
court  of  Pilate,  on  the  ground  of  treason,  and  the  same 
thing  may  be  traced  in  the  persecutions  of  the  Chris- 
tian disciples  that  followed  Christ.  I  think  we  mis- 
understand the  temper  of  the  Roman  Empire  as  we 
read  of  those  terrible  sufferings  which  the  early  Chris- 
tians endured.    It  may  be  that  with  Nero  it  was  simply 

275 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

the  innate  love  of  cruelty.  That  bloodthirsty  wild 
beast  in  human  form  delighted  in  lighting  his  gardens 
with  the  bodies  of  men  and  women  covered  with  pitch, 
and  set  on  fire.  Trajan  writes  to  PHny:  ''Don't  per- 
secute the  Christian,  but  execute  the  Roman  law." 
Marcus  Aurelius  was  one  of  the  best  men  who  ever 
sat  in  the  chair  of  Rome,  but  he  was  indifferent  to  the 
sufferings  of  the  Christians  of  his  time,  because  the 
Roman  law  recognized  no  religion  except  as  in  some 
way  it  was  associated  with  a  distinct,  independent 
national  life.  Religion  was  political.  No  religion  was 
lawful  which  was  not  the  religion  of  a  distinct  nation. 
The  Jew  was  tolerated.  The  Christian  was  an  anar- 
chist, I  mean  politically.  Just  as  you  cry,  "Down  with 
anarchy !"  so  the  Roman  said :  "Down  with  the  Chris- 
tian !  He  is  insisting  upon  setting  up  a  religion  of  his 
own.  Is  every  man  to  set  up  a  god  for  himself  and 
shall  every  man  have  the  right  to  say  how  God  shall 
be  worshipped?  Why,  society  will  all  go  to  pieces." 
That  was  the  Roman  speech.  Christianity  was  an  ille- 
gal religion,  and  the  emperors  were  right  when  they 
said:  "No  matter  upon  whom  the  law  falls,  no  matter 
upon  how  many  people  it  falls,  if  we  are  to  preserve 
the  integrity  of  our  political  government  we  must 
execute  the  law,  and  execute  it  faithfully." 

Now,  you  know  there  is  no  better  way  of  bringing 
a  bad  law  into  disrepute  and  preparing  the  way  for 
its  overthrow  than  rigidly  to  enforce  it.  When  any 
law  on  your  statute  book  begins  to  smite  good  men 
in  great  numbers,  that  moment  a  seed  is  rooted  in 
the  minds  and  hearts  of  men  which  keeps  on  growing 
until  the  revolt  comes  and  the  law  has  to  go,  no  matter 

276 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

what  its  sanctity  or  its  antiquity  may  be.  There  is 
something  in  goodness.  It  has  in  it  a  higher  power 
than  any  law  you  can  make  on  your  statute  book.  By 
and  by  men  will  say  that  the  law  is  to  the  injury  of 
society.  That  is  just  the  way  it  worked  in  those  days. 
Those  days  are  so  far  off  that  they  do  not  seem  real 
to  us.  But  the  same  principles  worked  in  human 
minds  then  that  work  now.  You  have  only  got  to 
imagine  that  you  lived  then,  and  imagine  what  your 
thoughts  would  have  been,  and  you  have  got  exactly 
the  thoughts  that  those  people  had  fifteen  hundred 
years  ago.  When  we  read  about  the  conversion  of 
Constantine,  we  think  it  was  a  miracle.  It  was  a 
wonderful  revolt,  but  nothing  else  v/as  to  have  been  ex- 
pected. This  bad  law  had  worked  itself  out  until  the 
people  rose  in  their  might  and  protested  against  it.  It 
may  be  that  the  devil  is  perfectly  willing  that  the 
better  elements  of  society  shall  be  crushed  out  and 
finally  utterly  eliminated,  but  men  are  not  so  far  gone 
in  wickedness  yet  that  they  will  permit  it.  There  is 
a  good  deal  of  depravity  in  this  world,  but  I  tell  you, 
after  all,  man  is  not  a  devil,  and  the  fear  of  the  spirit 
of  God  is  what  works  in  human  minds  and  hearts  and 
consciences.  And  so  Constantine,  who  was  a  very 
sagacious  man  and  who  saw  exactly  what  the  con- 
dition of  things  was,  said :  "We  cannot  afford  to  keep 
on  administering  and  executing  this  old  law,"  and, 
therefore,  by  one  stroke  of  his  pen  he  swept  it  from 
the  statute  books.  That  was  forgiving  this  world. 
That  was  casting  out  the  prince  of  this  world,  who 
ceased  then  and  there.  The  blood  of  the  martyrs  had 
become  the  seed  of  the  church,  and  out  of  that  seed 

277 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

had  grown  a  host  which  it  was  impossible  for  the 
sword  of  Rome  to  destroy,  and  so,  from  sheer  neces- 
sity, when  Constantine  became  the  sole  emperor  of 
the  Roman  Empire,  he  granted  toleration  to  the  Chris- 
tian religion. 

Now,  that  result,  secured  by  the  martyrs,  was  begun 
with  the  death  of  Jesus  Christ.  The  death  of  Christ 
was  a  mighty  and  almighty  appeal  to  the  human  con- 
science. Men  must  have  said :  "The  civilization  by 
which  you  put  a  man  to  death,  and  such  a  man  as  He, 
under  process  of  law,  is  a  mockery  of  justice  and  of 
humanity."  Thus  the  devil  may  have  thought  he  had 
played  a  pretty  sharp  game,  but,  after  all,  he  suc- 
ceeded only  in  undermining  his  own  authority,  for 
in  the  reaction  that  speedily  followed  the  remaining 
temper  of  the  civilization  of  the  world  of  that  day 
was  seen  to  be  diabolic.  Men  sprang  away  from  it  as 
in  horror.  Such  a  thing  as  that,  friends,  and  I  have 
said  it  here  before,  the  crucifixion  of  Jesus  Christ,  in 
Jerusalem,  by  the  united  legal  authority  of  Jew  and 
Roman,  could  not  take  place  anywhere  on  the  face 
of  the  earth  to-day.  It  certainly  could  not  take  place 
in  those  nations  whose  civilization  plants  them  in  the 
van  of  human  progress.  You  could  not  think  of 
such  a  thing  taking  place  in  Great  Britain,  Germany, 
France,  or  in  the  United  States,  or  anywhere.  The 
temper  of  the  masses  is  against  it.  There  has  been  a 
revolution  of  human  thought  and  of  public  opinion. 
There  are  a  great  many  things  to-day  that  are  very 
bad  and  that  need  uprooting,  but,  for  myself,  I  will 
not  close  my  eyes  to  the  fact  that  the  forces  in  our 
modern  civilization  are  very  different  from  the  forces 

278 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

that  ruled  in  the  world  i,8oo  years  ago.  What  has 
done  it?  The  death  of  Christ.  It  was  the  judg- 
ment of  the  world  that  is  dead,  and  by  it  the  prince 
of  the  world  was  cast  out,  and  Jesus  Christ  took  his 
place.  This  is  only  negative.  The  death  of  Jesus 
Christ  was  a  power  of  expulsion.  I  want  you  to  look 
for  a  moment  or  two  at  the  positive  side  of  it.  It  was 
a  power  of  attraction,  and  it  is  to-day  the  most  marvel- 
ous power  of  attraction  of  which  we  know.  It  drew 
all  men  unto  Him.  It  fixed  attention  upon  what  He 
saw,  upon  what  He  had  said,  upon  what  He  had  done, 
and  light  and  criticism  has  never  been  thrown  upon 
any  single  human  character,  in  all  the  history  of  the 
world,  so  fiercely  and  so  incessantly  as  it  has  been 
upon  the  Carpenter  of  Galilee,  the  Prophet  of  Naz- 
areth, for  these  i,8oo  years. 

It  is  too  late  in  the  day  for  any  man  to  deny  or  doubt 
that  in  all  the  long  procession  of  great  souls,  Jesus 
Christ  is  the  greatest,  the  foremost  figure  in  all  human 
history.  His  teaching  and  examples  have  been  pro- 
lific of  good  wherever  they  have  been  spoken  of  and 
known.  Everybody  believes  them.  Every  theory  of 
self-deception  or  of  insane  enthusiasm  has  broken 
down  under  its  own  weight.  There  are  men  to-day 
who  will  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  church,  who 
believe  that  all  ministers  are  false  at  heart  and  scoun- 
drels— men  who  take  His  Bible,  yours  and  mine,  and 
tear  it  into  tatters,  but  who  are  hushed  into  awe  when 
they  are  brought  face  to  face  with  Jesus  Christ.  That 
was  not  true  an  hundred  years  ago,  but  it  is  true  to- 
day. I  have  sometimes  thought  that  these  very  men, 
whose  blasphemies   so  pain   us,   worship   the   Son   of 

279 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

God  in  their  hearts,  after  all.  When  they  come  face 
to  face  with  Him,  there  comes  a  divine  silence,  which 
quiets  their  thoughts  and  prevents  their  lips  from 
saying  anything,  except  of  homage  to  His  excellence. 
What  is  there  in  the  life  of  Christ  that  you  can  find 
fault  with?  What  is  there  in  the  Sermon  on  the 
Mount  and  in  His  other  teachings  that  any  of  you 
dissent  from?  If  we  only  live  as  Christ  lived,  wouldn't 
this  world  be  a  heaven  ?  Just  think  what  Christ  stands 
for  in  the  gospels.  Take  His  teachings,  take  His 
spirit.  Do  they  not  commend  themselves  to  every- 
body? The  influence  of  that  life  of  His,  transfigured 
by  His  death  and  resurrection,  is  not  confined  to  the 
circle  of  those  who  make  a  profession  of  it.  That 
influence  radiates  far  and  near.  It  has  saturated  pub- 
lic opinion.  It  rides  in  a  royal  chariot,  through  all  the 
heights  of  modern  literature.  Our  whole  moral  life  is 
transfused  and  transfigured  by  the  spirit  of  the  Son 
of  God,  the  Fatherhood  of  God  and  the  brotherhood 
of  man.  These  things  have  become  common  phrases 
of  our  modern  speech.  He  first  voiced  them  in  clear, 
trumpet  tones,  and  He  was  the  first  to  illustrate  them 
in  His  personal  life. 

I  say,  the  attractive  influence  of  Jesus  Christ  to-day 
is  wider  than  the  influence  which  he  exerts  upon  those 
whose  names  are  upon  the  rolls  of  the  church,  and  I 
have  sometimes  felt  that  one  thing  which  the  Christian 
Church  ought  to  do  is  to  widen  its  lines  until  it  takes 
in  all  whom  the  spirit  of  Christ  practically  reaches. 
Christianity  to-day  is  a  bigger  thing  than  the  Chris- 
tian Church.  It  is  vastly  larger  than  any  system  of 
doctrine,  and  larger  than  all  systems  of  doctrine.     I 

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THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

believe  there  are  scores  of  men  who  have  never  been 
baptized  who  are  just  as  really  the  disciples  of  Christ 
as  any  whose  names  are  inscribed  on  the  church  rolls, 
and  my  heart  leaps  for  joy  when  I  recognize  how 
the  influence  of  Jesus  Christ  is  more  and  more  per- 
vading society,  the  unconverted  portion  of  it,  as  we 
call  it,  but  which  is  really  more  thoroughly  saturated 
with  the  spirit  of  Christ  than  many  of  us  suppose. 
I  want  to  see  the  lines  of  the  church  sweep  as  widely 
as  the  lines  of  the  influence  of  Jesus  Christ.  I  do  not 
think  it  is  to  our  credit  that  there  are  twice  as  many 
women  church  members  as  there  are  men.  There  is 
something  wrong.  Doctrinal  and  experimental  tests 
have  been  made  which  are  unscriptural,  and  are  un- 
warranted, and  the  level  sense  of  our  men  has  said: 
*'We  w^on't  submit  to  them."  There  is  but  one  test. 
Jesus  Christ  is  the  door  to  the  sheepfold.  I  want  to 
see  these  barriers  down  and  I  believe  that  the  time  is 
coming.  I  am  going  to  do  my  level  best  here,  or  any- 
where else,  to  say  these  things  right  out.  Let  them 
fall  into  your  hearts.  Let  them  quicken  your  tongue, 
that  you  may  communicate  them  to  your  children, 
until  we  shall  come  to  the  time  when  this  whole  world 
shall  ring  with  the  acclamations  of  the  Carpenter  of 
Galilee,  the  Prophet  of  Nazareth.  Let  the  whole  earth 
ring  with  the  glory  of  God,  as  the  waters  cover  the 
face  of  the  deep. 


281 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

God's  Love  First. 

This  was  the  last  sermon  preached  by  Dr.  Behrends, 
immediately  preceding  his  address  in  Carnegie  Hall, 
Sunday  morning,  April  29,  1900. 

Text. — We  love  Him     because    He  first    loved    us. — John 
iv,  19. 

History  furnishes  no  parallel  to  the  deep  and  earnest 
affection  which  Jesus  Christ  kindles  in  the  hearts  of 
His  disciples.  There  have  been  many  great  and  brave 
men  who  have  won  for  themselves  an  admiration  bor- 
dering on  adoration;  whose  names  have  sunk  deep 
down  into  the  grateful  memories  of  nations ;  whose 
praises  continue  to  be  sung  in  ode  and  oration ;  whose 
deeds  are  honored  in  shaft  and  tablet;  such  men  as 
Nelson  and  the  Duke  of  Wellington  among  the 
English ;  such  men  as  Washington  and  Lincoln  and 
Grant  among  ourselves.  And  yet,  greatly  as  we  revere 
and  honor  such  men,  we  revere  and  honor  them  as 
leaders  of  an  army  whose  rank  and  file  command  our 
grateful  respect.  Not  single  handed  did  Nelson  battle 
and  break  the  navies  of  Spain  and  of  France.  Not 
single  handed  did  the  Iron  Duke  crush  Napoleon  at 
Waterloo.  Not  single  handed  did  Washington  secure 
the  political  independence  of  the  American  colonies. 
Not  single  handed  did  Sherman  march  to  the  sea, 
cutting  the  Confederacy  in  two  and  proving  its  hope- 
less collapse.  Not  single  handed  did  Sheridan  clear 
the  Shenandoah  Valley,  nor  Grant  march  on  to  Rich- 
mond and  Appomattox.  The  army  is  greater  than  its 
commanders.  The  people  are  greater  than  their  most 
illustrious  leaders.     Here  appears  the  solitariness  of 

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THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

Jesus  Christ.  He  is  greater  than  the  army  which  He 
commands ;  greater  than  the  flock  which  He  leads. 
He  creates  the  constituency  of  which  He  is  the  head. 
With  His  own  blood  He  has  bought  the  church,  which 
is  His  body  and  over  which  He  rules.  Single  handed 
he  grappled  with  and  overthrew  the  powers  of  sin, 
death  and  hell,  which  held  us  in  helpless  captivity. 
Single  handed  He  wrenched  the  gate  of  our  prison 
house,  smiting  the  chains  of  our  captivity,  securing  for 
us  an  everlasting  redemption.  We  are  not  saved  be- 
cause we  are  brave;  we  are  brave  because  we  are 
saved.  And  because  of  this.  He  kindles  in  the  hearts 
of  men  a  devotion  which  is  unique  and  which  He 
claims  as  His  just  due.  Strange  and  startling  is  the 
paradox  when  He  tells  us  that  we  must  hate  our  kin- 
dred, and  our  own  lives,  if  we  would  be  His  disciples. 
The  meaning  is  perfectly  clear.  Nothing  may  come 
between  Him  and  us.  Our  one  duty  is  to  follow  Him, 
even  if  that  lead  us  into  orphanage,  and  homelessness, 
and  exile,  and  death.  Thousands  have  been  equal  to 
the  alternative,  and  have  not  complained.  Whether 
we  regard  the  intensity  of  the  devotion,  or  the  num- 
bers who  have  been  mastered  by  its  high  enthusiasm, 
or  the  permanence  of  the  great  and  mighty  afifection — 
the  love  which  Jesus  Christ  has  kindled,  and  still 
kindles,  has  no  second. 

Its  intensity  is  unique.  It  sinks  deeper  down,  it 
rises  to  loftier  heights,  it  has  a  more  fiery  touch  and  a 
more  flaming  ardor  than  any  other  passion  which  can 
move  the  soul.  It  has  done  more  than  make  men  will- 
ing to  die  for  Him.  Men  have  died  for  their  kindred, 
for  their  friends,  for  fatherland  and  humanity.    Every 

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THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

great  and  good  cause  has  had  its  martyrs.  But  the 
martyrs  of  the  Christian  faith  have  faced  and  endured 
death  with  a  peculiar  exultation.  The  devotion  which 
Christ  commands  is  like  a  shoreless  and  fathomless 
sea,  like  the  air  and  sky  above  and  around  us — limit- 
less in  all  directions.  There  are  no  reservations  in  it. 
The  best  men  have  their  weaknesses  and  faults.  They 
cannot  command  our  unqualified  admiration  and  at- 
tachment. We  maintain  our  independence  in  our 
loyalty.  We  cannot  follow  them  everywhere.  We 
know  the  faults  of  those  whom  we  love,  and  hence 
there  is  no  love  without  its  pain.  And  the  noblest 
causes  have  their  limitations,  unable  to  exhaust  the 
enthusiasm  of  which  the  soul  is  capable.  But  the 
devotion  which  Christ  kindles  in  human  hearts  is  a 
devotion  which  wakes  no  shame,  and  which  gives  free 
rein  to  a  boundless  enthusiasm. 

This  love,  remarkable  for  its  intensity,  is  equally 
unique  because  of  the  numbers  whom  it  has  stirred 
with  its  high  and  ardent  devotion.  We  have  ceased  to 
count  them.  They  are  a  multitude  which  no  man 
can  number,  and  they  belong  to  every  tribe  and  tongue, 
to  every  age  and  clime. 

The  heroes  of  one  people  are  not  the  heroes  of  other 
nations.  Their  countrymen  perpetuate  their  memory, 
but  the  applause  becomes  more  and  more  faint  beyond 
the  national  boundaries.  Only  in  England  and  her 
colonies  do  you  find  the  columns  of  Nelson.  Only  in 
Holland  are  you  reminded  of  William  of  Orange. 
Only  in  France  is  Napoleon  ascendant.  Only  in  Ger- 
many does  Frederick  the  Great  kindle  pride.  Only 
in  Russia  does  Peter  the  Great  stir  the  popular  heart. 

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THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

Only  in  the  American  Republic  do  Washington,  and 
Lincoln,  and  Grant  provoke  the  ardor  of  patriotic  de- 
votion. But  Christ  lays  His  pierced  palms  upon  all 
the  nations,  and  everywhere  there  is  the  same  instant 
and  intense  response. 

Not  only  are  national  boundaries  overleaped,  but 
the  fiercest  national  prejudices  and  hatreds  are  broken 
down.  It  remains  and  must  continue  to  be  the  mira- 
cle of  history  that  a  Jew,  branded  as  a  criminal  by 
the  Roman  law,  and  dying  a  death  of  shame,  re- 
pudiated by  His  own  countrymen,  has  commanded  a 
personal  devotion  which  has  counted  death  for  Him 
a  crown  of  glory.  The  fact  remains,  explain  it  as  you 
please.  The  world  never  had  any  love  for  the  Jew. 
It  has  always  despised  him,  and  ostracized  him.  We 
do  not  love  him  now.  Yet  it  is  a  Jew  at  whose  feet 
we  bow,  and  under  whose  banner  we  march.  In 
Christ,  and  in  His  cross,  we  glory.  At  that  point  the 
fiercest  prejudices  have  given  way;  and  it  is  simple 
truth  that  by  the  cross  the  middle  wall  of  partition 
has  been  broken  down,  and  the  treaty  of  peace  has 
been  signed  and  sealed  in  the  blood  of  our  atonement. 

National  boundaries  have  been  overleaped ;  the  fierc- 
est prejudices  have  been  broken  down,  by  the  love 
which  Christ  kindles  in  the  hearts  of  men.  And  it  has 
effaced  the  deeper  and  darker  shades  of  race  dis- 
tinctions. For  such  distinctions  there  are  still,  deep- 
ening in  their  grooves,  and  showing  no  signs  of  dis- 
appearance. The  European,  the  Asiatic  or  Mongolian, 
and  the  African  are  like  so  many  closed  circles,  touch- 
ing each  other  at  single  points,  but  remaining  distinct 
and  separate.     They  tolerate  each  other;  but  they  do 

285 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

not  assimilate.  We  shut  the  gates  against  the  Mon- 
golian, and  our  wisest  statesmen  are  perplexed  with 
the  African  problem  within  our  borders.  That  prob- 
lem has  but  one  safe  solution :  the  black  man  must 
become  an  intelligent  Christian.  The  Mongolian 
problem  must  be  solved  in  the  same  way :  China  must 
be  converted  to  Jesus  Christ.  Then,  and  not  till  then, 
can  you  open  wide  the  gateway  of  the  Pacific  and  let 
Asia  come  in.  No  treaties  can  bring  in  the  age  of 
universal  brotherhood.  But  the  love  which  Christ 
kindles  is  drawing  men  to  each  other  by  drawing  them 
to  His  cross,  and  holding  them  there. 

Nor  does  it  stop  here.  It  has  broken  down,  and  is 
breaking  down,  the  spirit  of  caste  and  class.  It  is  the 
only  passion  wdiich  has  fused  the  race.  It  subjugates 
alike  the  young  and  the  old,  the  rich  and  the  poor,  the 
ignorant  and  the  cultured.  We  gravitate  into  classes 
— social,  literary,  political,  ecclesiastical.  Jesus  Christ 
masters  us  all ;  and  the  unity  for  which  so  many  pray, 
and  about  which  so  many  talk,  is  the  most  certain  of 
all  facts,  if  we  will  only  look  down  deep  enough — as 
real  and  mighty  as  the  uniform  throb  of  the  sea 
beneath  the  wildest  commotion,  as  real  and  mighty  as 
the  swing  of  the  tides  flooding  every  bay  and  inlet  of 
the  coast. 

Once  more.  This  devotion,  so  intense  and  univer- 
sal, has  proved  to  be  remarkable  for  its  permanence 
and  persistence.  It  has  staying  power.  Nothing 
wears  it  out.  Two  thousand  years  have  not  diminished 
its  ardor.  Time  is  the  fiercest  of  sieves,  winnowing 
the  grain  from  the  chaflf.  Time  is  the  fire  of  God, 
the  crucible  of  history,  by  which  all  things  are  tried. 

286 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

Time  is  the  day  of  judgment  on  earth,  whose  silent 
Hps  pronounce  the  final  sentence.  Thrones  crumble 
before  its  whisper,  and  the  dungeons  become  the  seats 
of  power.  The  emperor  withers  under  its  curse,  the 
martyr  is  vested  with  the  scepter  and  purple.  Time 
changes  our  verdicts  and  moderates  our  enthusiasm, 
even  for  our  national  heroes.  But  there  is  no  lessen- 
ing of  the  devotion  which  Jesus  Christ  inspires.  They 
loved  Him,  who  saw  Him  and  heard  Him,  and  who 
were  with  Him  on  the  mount.  We  love  Him,  too,  we 
who  have  not  seen  Him.  They  loved  Him  and  died 
for  Him.  We  love  Him,  and  we,  too,  would  die  for 
Him.  (Armenia's  soil  is  red  with  the  blood  of  those 
who  in  our  day  would  not  deny  Him.)  They  wor- 
shipped Him  in  cave  and  catacomb,  and  we  worship 
Him  in  freer  temples,  but  with  equal  ardor.  Each 
Lord's  Day  wakes  our  praises  and  prayers  anew,  mak- 
ing for  us  a  perpetual  Easter. 

This  love  for  Christ  is  the  mightiest  of  all  motives 
to  holy  living,  and  to  unselfish  service.  It  builds  us 
up  into  Christ's  likeness.  It  makes  us  ready  and  eager 
to  further  His  cause  and  kingdom,  at  home  and 
abroad,  until  a  redeemed  world  worships  at  His  feet. 

But  how  comes  it  that  such  a  love  is  here?  What 
is  the  secret  of  its  intensity,  of  its  universality,  of  its 
persistence?  ''Ex  nihilo  nihil  fit."  Such  a  devotion 
is  not  uncaused.  Your  will  and  mine  has  not  gener- 
ated it.  The  will  of  the  race  did  not  give  it  birth.  It 
is  not  of  us,  because  it  has  conquered  us.  It  is  but 
man's  answer  to  the  speech  of  God.  We  love  Him 
because  He  first  loved  us.  Herein  is  love,  here  is  its 
fountain  head,  here  is  its  tremendous  urgency,  here 

287 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

is  its  unquenchable  ardor,  here  is  its  unfathomable 
depth  and  ceaseless  flow — not  that  we  loved  God,  but 
that  God  loved  us,  and  gave  His  Son  to  be  the  propiti- 
ation for  our  sins.  When  flint  and  steel  strike,  the 
spark  of  fire  is  born.  When  Christ's  love  for  men 
smites  the  heart,  the  flame  of  love  is  kindled.  And 
this  love  of  God  in  Christ  passes  understanding,  in  the 
intensity  of  its  ardor,  in  the  universality  of  its  scope, 
in  the  permanence  and  persistence  of  its  life. 

Its  intensity  is  measured  by  the  fact  that  God  sent 
His  Son  to  be  a  propitiation  for  our  sins.  To  die 
voluntarily  for  those  who  hate  us,  and  whom  we  have 
good  reason  for  hating,  is  the  supreme  evidence  of 
love.  Christ  died  for  us,  while  we  were  yet  enemies. 
And  He  died  not  from  necessity,  but  by  deliberate 
choice  and  self-surrender ;  not  under  a  sudden  impulse, 
but  under  the  pressure  of  an  eternal  purpose  and 
decree,  in  which  He  had  a  conscious  part.  His  de- 
scent into  the  manger  was  His  acceptance  of  the  cross. 
And  He  died  as  a  propitiatory  offering  for  our  sins. 
His  death  is  not  a  tragedy  over  which  we  weep;  His 
death  is  not  a  heroism  which  we  applaud;  His  death 
is  the  moral  dynamite  which  has  cleared  the  path  to 
our  eternal  salvation.  I  hint  at  no  theory  of  the 
atonement;  perhaps  the  created  reason  will  never 
be  able  to  sound  the  awful  mystery ;  but  this  much 
stands  sure — Christ  died  that  we  might  live.  And  if 
that  be  true,  how  can  we  help  loving  Him  ? 

Never  was  love  so  intense,  and  never  was  love  so 
universal,  as  God's  love  for  men  in  Christ.  No  soul  is 
untouched  by  it.  It  arches  every  cradle,  it  broods  over 
every  grave.    Does  some  one  say,  ''The  death  of  Christ 

288 


THE    CHRIST    OP    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

is  a  proj)itiatif)n  for  our  sins,"  for  the  sins  of  the  elect, 
for  the  sins  of  those  who  beheve,  eternally  foreknown 
and  predestinated  to  the  adoption  of  grace?  I  will  let 
John  answer  him :  ''If  any  man  sin,  we  have  an  advo- 
cate with  the  Father,  Jesus  Christ,  the  righteous;  and 
He  is  the  propitiation  for  our  sins ;  and  not  for  our  sins 
only,  but  for  the  sins  of  the  whole  world."  That  is 
explicit  enough,  and  this  universalism  penetrates  and 
dominates  the  entire  Scriptures.  It  is  upon  this  uni- 
versal love  of  God  for  all  men  that  election  builds,  and 
without  which  election  would  be  cruelly  incarnate. 
Christ  died  for  all  men;  and  all  men  will  be  judged  by 
Him  whose  palms  were  pierced,  and  whose  heart  was 
broken,  when  He  bore  their  sins  in  His  own  body  on 
the  tree.  This  is  the  great  thought  throbbing  at  the 
heart  of  modern  Christian  thought,  which  theology 
has  done  so  much  to  obscure.  For  you  and  for  me, 
it  is  a  matter  of  life  and  death  that  we  emphasize  it — 
God  is  no  respecter  of  persons. 

And  this  love  of  God  for  men  is  as  permanent  and 
persistent  as  it  is  intense  and  universal.  Time  does 
not  bound  it.  The  grave  does  not  bury  it.  It  had  no 
beginning  and  it  has  no  end.  Some  have  inferred  from 
this  the  salvation  of  all,  or  an  endless  probation.  But 
in  these  inferences  the  old  fatalism  reappears,  and  man 
is  regarded  as  not  really  free.  God's  patience  is  sup- 
posed at  last  to  wear  out  man's  obstinacy.  That  leaves 
only  the  semblance  of  freedom.  Scripture  affirms  with 
equal  explicitness  the  infinite  love  of  God  for  all  men, 
the  universal  scope  of  the  redeeming  purpose  and  the 
absolute  personal  responsibility  of  man,  the  plenary 
power  of  the  human   will.     God   creates   no   soul   to 

289 
10 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

damn  it ;  God  passes  no  sonl  by ;  God  has  no  pleasure 
in  the  death  of  any,  but  they  who  will  not  hear  and 
heed  have  only  a  fearful  looking  for  of  judgment. 
There  is  grace  for  all  who  will ;  there  is  no  promise 
for  the  impenitent  and  obstinate,  and  an  endless  pro- 
bation will  find  no  hospitable  welcome  with  any  one 
who  appreciates  the  awful  urgency  of  the  Scriptural 
warning  that  now  is  the  day  of  salvation.  But  God 
changes  not  in  His  eternal  love,  even  for  such  as 
perish  in  their  sins.  Their  perdition  fills  even  His 
heart  with  a  real  and  eternal  sadness.  For  if  Christ 
wept  over  the  impending  ruin  of  Jerusalem,  much 
more  must  the  tears  of  God  fall  upon  those  who  bury 
themselves  in  the  grave  of  an  eternal  death. 

There  was  a  time  when  I  could  not  make  real  to 
myself  such  expressions  of  Scripture  as  attributed 
pity,  regret,  sorrow  and  the  like  to  God.  I  had  been 
taught  to  regard  such  phrases  as  anthropomorphic  and 
anthropopathic,  formidable  five  and  six  footed  words, 
suggesting  that  we  attribute  our  infirmities  to  God. 
For  years  I  was  held  in  the  grip  of  a  doctrine  of  divine 
immutability,  according  to  which  the  blessedness  of 
God  contained  no  element  of  real  pain.  An  essay  of 
Domer's  set  me  free.  The  Scripture  statements  are 
true.  God  would  be  less  than  man  were  there  no 
laughter  and  no  tears  in  His  love.  He  rejoices  over 
the  penitent  sinner.  He  is  sad  when  men  hate  wisdom 
and  love  death.  His  tears  fall  upon  the  sepulcher  of 
eternal  night.  I  do  not  envy  the  man  who  does  not 
carry  a  burdened  heart,  and  I  crave  a  God  to  whom  sin 
is  sin,  to  whom  sorrow  is  sorrow,  to  whom  death  is 
death;  who  never  can  cease  to  remember,  and  must 

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THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

always  recall,  with  anguish  of  heart,  those  whom  His 
infinite  mercy  could  not  reach  and  who  tore  themselves 
away  from  His  redeeming  grasp. 

Here,  in  God's  care  for  men,  is  the  secret  of  purity, 
the  source  of  power,  the  seal  of  success.  All  the  re- 
sources of  heaven  and  of  eternity  are  pledged  to  him 
who  wills  to  be  saved.  And  because  of  this  love,  the 
banner  under  which  we  march  must  and  will  wave 
over  every  citadel  of  wickedness  and  cruelty,  at  home 
and  abroad.  This  gives  us  courage  in  every  good 
cause.  Righteousness  must  triumph,  in  city  and  state 
and  nation  and  the  world.  It  will  have  its  Gethsemanes 
and  Calvarys,  but  it  will  also  have  its  Easter  and 
Olivet.  The  meek  shall  inherit  the  earth ;  not  the  idle 
and  indifferent  and  unresisting,  but  the  meek,  the 
patient  in  tribulation,  those  who  watch  and  wait,  hope 
and  pray,  work  and  endure.  Armenian  massacres 
cannot  alter  the  issue.  Japanese  inconstancy  cannot 
check  the  advance.  Chinese  exclusiveness  and  som- 
nolency cannot  bar  the  gospel  out.  The  night  is  far 
spent;  the  day  is  at  hand.  For  after  earthquake  and 
tempest,  after  trumpets  and  vials  of  wrath,  shall  come, 
descending  out  of  heaven  to  earth,  the  fair  city  of 
God,  the  New  Jerusalem,  with  gates  of  pearl  and 
streets  of  gold,  whose  light  shall  be  the  Lamb  of  God, 
who  died  for  the  sins  of  men ! 

I  am  a  conservative  in  Eschatology.  If  I  were  not, 
I  should  not  say  what  I  am  about  to  say.  With  the 
New  Testament  in  my  hands,  I  cannot  believe  that  all 
men  will  be  saved.  With  the  New  Testament  in  my 
hands,  I  cannot  believe  in  the  annihilation  of  the 
wicked.     With  the   New  Testament  in   my  hands,   I 

291 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

cannot  believe  in  probation  after  death.  So  much  as  to 
what  I  cannot  beHeve.  Positively,  I  believe  that  the 
soul  is  immortal,  that  holiness  constitutes  blessed- 
ness, and  that  Jesus  Christ  died  for  all  whom  He  will 
judge.  And  now,  with  orthodoxy  unchallenged  and 
beyond  criticism,  I  wish  to  add,  without  a  particle  of 
reservation,  that  Eschatology  has  nothing  whatever 
to  do  with  the  New  Testament  theory  of  missions. 
The  fathers  made  foreign  missions  an  appendage  to 
their  Eschatology.  They  were  wrong  in  doing  it,  and 
we  certainly  ought  not  to  perpetuate  their  errors.  We 
need  not  repudiate  either  their  Eschatology  or  their 
missionary  enthusiasm ;  but,  for  one,  I  do  smite  the 
logical  link  by  which  they  united  the  two.  I  take 
Jesus  Christ  to  mean  just  what  He  says,  no  more  and 
no  less,  when  He  commands  me  to  disciple  all  nations. 
The  eternal  destinies  of  men  He  has  not  placed  in 
our  keeping.  Judgment  is  His  unique,  awful,  un- 
shared prerogative.  In  it  we  have  no  part.  The 
keys  of  death  and  hades  hang  upon  His  girdle,  and 
woe  to  the  hands  that  dare  touch  them !  I  can  trust 
Him. 

"There's  a  wideness  in  God's  mercy. 

Like  the  wideness  of  the  sea; 
There's  a  kindness  in  His  justice. 

Which  is  more  than  liberty. 

''For  the  love  of  God  is  broader 
Than  the  measure  of  man's  mind. 
And  the  heart  of  the  Eternal 
Is  most  wonderfully  kind." 

I  am  glad  that  the  Crucified  is  the  Judge.     I  am 
292 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

glad  that  He  has  not  imposed  upon  me  this  intolerable 
burden ;  that  He  does  not  punish  others  for  my  neglect, 
and  that  He  simply  bids  me  preach  His  gospel  to  every 
creature.  The  question  for  us  to  settle  is  not  whether 
there  is  a  probation  after  death  for  such  as  in  this  life 
do  not  hear  the  gospel,  but  whether  the  present  mor- 
tal life  is  not  our  only  period  of  probation  in  which 
we  can  preach  that  gospel  to  the  heathen.  The  ques- 
tion is  not  whether  the  heathen  can  be  saved  without 
the  gospel,  but  whether  we  can  be  saved  if  we  do  not 
preach  the  gospel  to  the  heathen,  as  Christ  has  com- 
manded us  to  do.  The  woe  is  upon  us.  We  certainly 
deserve  to  be  beaten  with  many  stripes  if,  knowing 
our  Lord's  will,  we  refuse  to  obey  it. 

The  eternal  destinies  of  men  are  not  in  our  keeping. 
The  pierced  palms  of  Jesus  Christ  hold  them.  But 
upon  us  He  lays  the  duty  to  preach  the  gospel  to  every 
creature,  and  so  to  preach  it  as  to  secure  its  accept- 
ance. We  are  beginning  to  see  that  our  campaign  is 
bounded  by  the  earth  and  by  the  mortal  life  of  men. 
The  dead  are  beyond  our  ministry.  The  unborn  are 
not  within  our  reach.  The  Uving,  the  living,  we  must 
save!  We  are  beginning  to  see  that  the  New  Jeru- 
salem, builded  of  God  in  the  heavens,  is  to  be  located 
in  Europe,  in  Asia,  in  Africa,  in  America,  in  Australia, 
and  in  all  the  islands  of  the  sea!  God  will  see  to  the 
building  of  the  eternal  empire;  we  must  build  its 
ample  vestibule  in  a  regenerated  earth ! 


293 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

The    Effect    on    the    Churches    of    Supporting 
Foreign  Missions. 

Address  delivered  by  Dr.  Belirends  before  the  Ecu- 
menical Conference,  in  Carnegie  Hall,  New  York, 
Tuesday,  May  i,  1900. 

It  is  idle,  at  this  late  day,  to  challenge  the  propriety 
or  the  wisdom  of  foreign  missions,  in  any  of  their 
departments — evangelistic,  educational,  medical,  phil- 
anthropic. We  have  put  our  hands  to  the  plow  and 
there  can  be  no  turning  back.  When  the  American 
flag  shook  out  its  starry  folds  at  Santiago  and  Manila, 
the  question  of  sovereign  and  responsible  occupancy 
was  settled.  Retreat  and  compromise  have  become 
impossible.  The  die  has  been  cast.  The  white  man's 
burden  is  upon  us.  For  where  the  flag  flies  there 
the  nation  rallies.  And  wherever  the  cross  of  Christ 
has  been  planted,  there  the  Christian  host  must  rally 
for  its  support  and  defense.  Retreat  and  compromise 
have  forever  become  impossible.  Universal  conquest, 
or  abject  surrender,  are  the  only  alternatives. 

The  disciplining  of  the  nations  is  a  task  of  over- 
whelming magnitude.  It  will  change  the  face  of 
human  history.  But  it  is  also  profoundly  affecting  the 
religious  life  of  our  churches  at  home,  and  it  will 
affect  that  life  more  and  more  profoundly  with  each 
succeeding  decade.  There  is  in  this  movement  a  dy- 
namic energy,  which  will  produce,  which  is  producing, 
slowly,  silently,  steadily,  unconsciously,  and  in  spite 
of  us,  the  most  radical  ecclesiastical  and  theological 
revolutions.  Upon  three  of  these,  the  most  important, 
in  my  judgment,  I  propose  briefly  and  hurriedly  to 
touch. 

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THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

History  is  the  logic  of  Go<l.  And  foreign  missions, 
as  a  part  of  that  logic,  are  opening  the  eyes  of  our 
churches  as  to  what  constitutes  their  divine  calling. 
Compassion  for  the  perishing  heathen  is  giving  way 
to  the  passion  for  universal  conquest,  and  the  passion 
for  universal  conquest  has  been  born  of  the  infinite, 
impartial  love  of  Christ  for  the  world,  mastering  our 
souls.  The  travail  of  His  soul  is  becoming  our  travail. 
What  are  we  bent  upon  doing?  To  save  men.  But 
what  does  that  mean?  It  may  mean  to  get  men  into 
heaven,  and  it  may  mean  to  get  heaven  into  men.  It 
means  both.  The  ultimate  aim  is  to  get  men  into 
heaven ;  the  immediate  aim  is  to  get  heaven  into  men. 
The  latter  may  be  said  to  be  our  specific  task.  We  are 
awakening  to  the  fact  that  it  is  our  business  to  save 
mortal  men  and  women  from  sin,  and  to  establish  them 
in  the  righteousness  of  God,  which  is  by  the  faith  of 
Jesus  Christ.  Our  sole  task  is  the  historical  triumph 
of  the  gospel  in  all  lands. 

I  pass  to  a  second  great  change  which  is  coming 
over  our  religious  life  at  home.  So  great  a  task,  from 
which  no  church,  and  no  disciple,  can  be  excused, 
makes  co-operation  an  immediate  and  imperative  ne- 
cessity. We  are  in  direst  straits.  The  fathers  prayed 
for  open  doors.  They  are  open.  We  have  been  pray- 
ing for  men.  The  men  are  here,  clamoring  to  be  sent. 
We  cannot  send  them  because  our  treasuries  are 
empty.  What  is  the  trouble?  I  will  tell  you.  The 
logic  of  God,  in  the  history  and  present  condition  of 
foreign  missions,  is  hammering  us  into  co-operation. 
Comity  is  rapidly  becoming  an  obsolete  idea.  That, 
perhaps,  may  have  been  sufficient,  so  long  as  conti- 

295 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

nents  and  islands  were  isolated.  But  the  isolation 
is  rapidly  disappearing.  Steam  and  electricity  are 
demolishing  all  Chinese  walls.  The  world  is 
becoming  every  man's  parish.  History  is  laughing 
our  comities  and  compromises  out  of  court.  What 
right  have  you  and  I  to  Hmit  our  respective  fields  by 
geographical  or  ethnological  lines?  All  souls  are 
mine,  all  souls  are  yours,  as  truly  as  they  are  Christ's. 
You  owe  a  debt  to  every  one  of  them.  All  lands  are 
mine,  all  lands  are  yours,  as  truly  as  they  are  the 
Lord's.  You  are  debtor  to  every  one  of  them.  The 
round  globe,  every  square  foot  of  it,  is  my  parish,  and 
it  is  yours,  by  Christ's  commission.  I  have  no  right 
to  bar  you  out;  you  have  no  right  to  bar  me  out. 
Comity !  I  like  not  the  word.  It  is  veneered  selfish- 
ness. It  is  disguised  haughtiness.  I  like  the  word 
comity  as  little  as  I  do  the  word  toleration.  I  tolerate 
you  and  you  tolerate  me?  I  want  not  toleration.  I 
claim  my  free-born  citizenship,  as  a  son  of  God,  in 
every  province  of  the  great  republic  of  Jesus  Christ ! 
We  may  as  well  face  the  problem.  Comity  is  a  snare 
and  a  delusion.  You  cannot  enforce  it.  It  will  col- 
lapse under  pressure.  It  has  collapsed  a  thousand 
times;  and  collapse  is  all  that  comity  is  good  for;  for 
it  is  wrong  in  principle  and  it  is  unworkable  in  prac- 
tice. Comity  means  civility,  courtesy,  politeness.  It 
is  the  code  of  behavior  between  rivals.  Are  we  rivals, 
or  God's  co-laborers?  Comity  is  a  covert  denial  of 
partnership ;  and  we  are  partners  in  the  service  of 
Christ.  Do  not  misunderstand  me.  I  am  not  an  icon- 
oclast. I  would  not  break  up  any  existing  ecclesias- 
tical or  missionary  organization.     But  in  this  matter, 

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THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

at  least,  I  am  a  Christian  evolutionist.  Our  methods 
are  antiquated  and  inadequate.  There  must  be  a  new 
alignment  of  Christian  forces  for  the  impending  Ar- 
mageddon; for  Armageddon  is  coming!  The  times 
call  for  multitudes  in  the  valley  of  decision.  Fusion  is 
what  we  need;  federation  is  what  we  must  have;  co- 
operation must  become  our  flaming  watchword!  Nor 
shall  we  ever  have  co-operation  abroad  until  we  have 
it  at  home.  I  am  only  stating  the  problem.  I  venture 
upon  no  solution,  though  the  solution  is  the  simplest. 
But,  in  any  case,  our  creeds  and  polities  must  not 
stand  in  the  way  of  the  massing  of  our  Christian 
forces  for  the  redemption  of  the  world. 

Thank  God,  the  hedges  are  not  so  thick  and  high  as 
they  were  fifty  years  ago.  Twenty-five  years  ago  it 
took  me  fourteen  months  to  nerve  myself  for  the  leap 
which  carried  me  over  the  high  and  thorny  Baptist 
hedge  into  the  Congregational  ranks ;  to-day  one  short 
step  would  carry  me  back  into  the  dear  old  camp, 
without  any  abridgment  of  my  present  convictions. 
The  Baptists,  at  least,  have  not  been  marking  time, 
and  they  may  outrun  us  all  yet,  if  we  do  not  wake  up 
soon.  Thank  God,  the  hedges  are  being  clipped 
a  little  closer  and  lower  every  year !  But  what  I  want 
is  to  have  God's  ploughshare  go  through  them  all, 
tearing  them  up  by  the  roots,  and  consigning  them  to 
the  fire  for  which  alone  they  are  fit!  It  can  be  done. 
It  ought  to  be  done.  It  has  been  done.  There  was 
once  one  Church  of  Christ  in  Jerusalem.  Three  thou- 
sand united  with  it  in  a  single  day.  Whether  they  all 
repeated  the  same  creed,  whether  they  were  all  im- 
mersed,  whether   they   were   all   confirmed    I    do   not 

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THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

know  and  I  do  not  care.  They  all  did  repent  and  be- 
lieve on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  There  was  once  one 
Church  of  Christ  in  metropolitan  Corinth,  and  one 
Church  of  Christ  in  cosmopolitan  Rome.  They  had 
widest  liberty,  without  schism.  I  want  to  see  one 
Church  of  Christ  in  New  York  and  one  Church  of 
Christ  in  London,  one  Church  of  Christ  in  the  United 
States,  one  Church  of  Christ  in  the  British  Empire, 
one  Church  of  Christ  in  Japan  and  in  China,  one 
Church  of  Christ  in  all  the  world !  I  shall  not  live  to 
see  it,  but  it  is  coming.  For  Jesus  Christ  is  breaking 
down  the  middle  walls  of  partition,  and  He  is  making 
a  conquest  of  us  all ! 

Co-operation  is  coming.  It  is  in  the  air.  When  it 
does  come  it  will  be  free  and  spontaneous.  We  are 
nearer  to  each  other  than  were  the  fathers,  and  our 
children  will  keep  up  the  converging  march.  Fusion, 
federation,  co-operation — it  is  coming.  And  when  it 
does  come  it  will  come  as  a  resistless  flood,  and  then, 
look  out  for  the  tramp  of  the  great  host  and  the 
flaming  feet  of  the  invincible  Captain !  That  will  usher 
in  the  millennial  day !  That  will  bring  the  fulfillment 
of  the  Apocalyptic  vision  ! 

And  now  for  a  third  suggestion.  The  logic  of  God, 
as  articulated  in  foreign  missions,  crowding  us  to  co- 
operation at  home  and  abroad,  is  also  compelling  us 
to  submit  our  theological  convictions  to  a  fierce  and 
fiery  sifting.  We  know  too  much.  Omniscience  is 
our  foible.  We  know  a  lot  of  things  that  are  not  so. 
We  talk  learnedly  and  long  about  fate,  and  foreknowl- 
edge, and  free  will,  and  the  like,  and  not  a  man  in 
this   conference   knows   anything   about   these   things. 

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THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

Knowledge  has  puffed  us  up.  We  must  become  as 
little  children.  We  must  sit  at  the  feet  of  Jesus.  I 
believe  in  creeds.  I  wage  no  war  against  them.  I  never 
signed  one.  I  never  expect  to.  But  I  will  sign  any 
creed,  and  I  will  do  it  blindfolded,  if  you  will  let  me 
sign  all  the  rest.  I  believe  in  polities.  I  can  indorse  any 
one  of  them,  if  you  will  let  me  indorse  all  the  rest.  I 
am  an  ecumenical  theologian  and  an  ecumenical  eccle- 
siastic. When  I  sign  all  the  creeds,  and  indorse  all 
the  polities,  that  in  which  they  agree  is  the  residuum 
of  my  positive  convictions.  As  to  the  things  in  which 
they  do  not  agree,  I  simply  treat  them  as  wood,  hay 
and  stubble. 

I  have  tried  the  experiment.  I  have  studied  every 
one  of  the  creeds,  Greek,  Latin,  Protestant.  I  have 
dumped  them  all  into  the  hopper  and  then  set  the  mill 
a-going.  There  were  things  in  every  one  of  them  that 
could  not  be  ground  into  meal — wood,  hay,  stubble, 
sticks,  stones,  chaff.  They  were  scattered  to  the 
winds ;  but  the  dear  old  gospel  of  the  grace  of  God  in 
Jesus  Christ  came  out  pure,  sweet  and  wholesome. 
It  is  in  every  one  of  them,  and  it  is  the  only  thing  in 
any  one  of  them  that  is  worth  preserving  and  worth 
fighting  for.  Let  us  make  a  bonfire  of  our  theological 
systems.  Add  to  the  pile  all  our  ecclesiastical  milli- 
nery and  machinery  and  cap  the  whole  with  the  higher 
criticism  of  the  last  one  hundred  years.  Now,  strike 
your  match !  See,  the  flame  mounts  from  base  to 
summit!  Don't  call  out  the  fire  department.  Let  it 
burn!  Only  the  wood,  hay  and  stubble  will  go  up  in 
smoke,  and  settle  down  in  ashes.  The  gold,  silver  and 
precious  stones  will  not  be  scarred.     The  residuum 

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THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

will  be  a  gospel  which  we  can  preach  to  every  creature. 
It  will  not  be  an  ethical  system,  a  code  of  morals  with- 
out energy  in  it.  It  will  not  be  an  ecclesiastical  ma- 
chine. It  will  not  be  a  critical  theory,  it  will  be  the 
old,  eternal,  unchangeable  message  of  salvation  by 
Jesus  Christ,  the  Incarnate  Word  of  God,  dying  for 
us  sinners  and  for  our  salvation,  risen  from  the  dead. 
The  Calvinism  left  in  that  residuum  will  not  hurt  the 
most  sensitive,  sensible  Methodist.  It  will  only  be 
infallible  omniscience  rooted  in  universal  grace,  and 
in  universal  atonement.  And  the  fiery  heat  pervading 
that  residuum  will  thaw  out  the  iciest  Presbyterian, 
making  him  shout  in  spite  of  himself.  In  Wales,  at 
least,  they  have  nominally  solved  that  problem,  for 
there  I  found  the  Presbyterians  calling  themselves 
Calvinistic  Methodists!  Our  missionaries  are  ahead 
of  us.  They  have  thought  their  way  through  into 
a  simpler  theology  than  have  we.  They  have  ceased  to 
tithe  mint,  anise,  and  cummin.  They  have  learned 
that  China  and  Japan  will  never  utter  the  shibboleths 
of  our  schools.  They  take  the  old  Bible,  just  as  it  is, 
and  with  the  beating,  bleeding  heart  of  Christ  encased 
within  it,  as  in  a  casket  of  silver,  they  are  flinging  it 
into  the  ranks  of  the  pagan  millions !  That  simplicity 
must  master  us.  Nor  is  it  difficult  to  say  what  that 
ultimate  simplicity  must  be.  It  will  be  the  primitive 
simplicity.  There  can  be  no  other.  The  gospel  is 
older  than  Wesley,  older  than  Calvin,  older  than 
Luther,  older  than  Augustine,  older  than  Paul,  older 
than  Moses,  older  than  Abraham.  It  is  as  old  as  God. 
The  Lamb  was  slain  before  the  foundation  of  the 
world.     We  must  come  back  to  the  New  Testament, 

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THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

which  reveals  the  secret  of  the  ages.  ReHgion  must 
centrahze  in  personal  trust  in,  and  devotion  to,  the 
Personal  Christ.  He  is  our  Master;  He  alone.  We 
must  stop  deifying  our  creeds.  We  must  stop  deifying 
our  rituals  and  polities.  I  am  not  pleading  for  an- 
archy. Discipline  and  order  must  be.  I  am  not  plead- 
ing for  bare  meeting  houses  and  a  bald  form  of  wor- 
ship. Let  us  have  the  gospel  tent,  and  the  stately 
cathedral.  The  sanctuary  has  beauty,  as  well  as 
strength.  I  am  not  pleading  for  doctrinal  indifference. 
I  am  no  lover  of  jellyfish  theology.  Intellectual  flab- 
biness  is  a  disgrace.  But  reduce  your  theology;  you 
must  do  it ;  you  can  afford  to  throw  away  a  good  deal 
of  it;  only  let  what  remains  be  clear,  positive,  virile 
and  aggressive! 

"Hold  fast  the  form  of  sound  words,  which  thou 
hast  heard  of  me,"  wrote  Paul  to  Timothy.  It  is 
worth  repeating.  Guard  the  sacred  deposit.  Stick  to 
the  gospels  and  the  epistles.  Build  upon  the  founda- 
tion of  prophets  and  apostles,  Jesus  Christ  Himself 
being  the  chief  corner  stone.  The  Scriptures  testify 
of  Him,  they  culminate  in  Him,  they  are  fulfilled  in 
Him.  Salvation  is  the  Divine  Saviour.  We  never 
tire  saying  these  things.  But  we  persist  in  applying 
other  tests  as  conditions  of  fellowship  and  co-opera- 
tion. We  call  them  subordinate,  but  we  make  them 
primary.  I  say  it  kindly,  but  I  mean  it;  I  say  it, 
though  I  fear  that  you  will  not  heed  it ;  it  is  usurpation 
of  authority,  on  the  part  of  anybody,  to  separate  in 
any  way,  and  upon  any  pretext,  wdiom  God  hath 
made  one  in  Jesus  Christ!  Back  to  Christ!  We  all 
say  that.    And  then,  as  soon  as  we  get  out  of  Carnegie 

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THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

Hall,  we  put  our  faith  in  the  keeping  of  the  Augsburg 
Confession,  or  the  Thirty-nine  Articles,  or  the  West- 
minster Confession,  or  the  Twenty-five  Articles,  or  the 
Synod  of  Dort.  We  feel  that  we  must  follow  Luther, 
or  Calvin,  or  Wesley,  or  Roger  Williams,  or  John 
Robinson.  We  coddle  our  creeds  and  canons,  even 
when  they  are  moth-eaten.  In  the  name  of  Christ,  and 
for  the  sake  of  a  perishing  world,  let  us  put  them 
away  in  glass  cases,  and  store  them  upon  the  shelves 
of  a  theological  museum,  and  then  let  us  go  out  and 
preach  Christ  and  Him  crucified !     Dare  you  do  it  ? 

Can  we  have  this  solid  agreement  in  doctrinal  con- 
viction and  this  universal  co-operation  in  service  ?  We 
ought  to  have  it,  and  therefore  we  can  have  it,  if  we 
only  will,  and  we  shall  have  it  as  soon  as  we  really 
want  it.  Foreign  missions  will  compel  us  to  have  it. 
I  wonder  what  we  would  all  say  and  do  if  Jesus  Christ 
were  to  appear,  in  visible  form,  upon  this  platform? 
We  should  all  be  on  our  knees !  My  lips  would  be 
dumb.  What  a  hush  would  fall  upon  this  assembly! 
How  we  all  would  hang  upon  His  lips !  Would 
we  not  do  what  He  might  bid  us  do?  But  is  He  not 
here?  Then  is  co-operation  possible.  But  we  still 
have  many  masters.  We  follow  the  Lord  afar  off. 
We  specialize,  where  He  does  not.  We  impose  tests, 
when  He  does  not.  There  seems  to  be  no  way  out 
of  the  meshes  of  the  miserable  net  which  we  have 
woven  for  our  feet ;  and  so  we  stumble  where  we  might 
and  ought  to  run.  We  creep  where  we  should  fly. 
But  the  meshes  are  of  our  own  making;  and  what 
our  hands  have  woven  our  hands  can  tear  apart.  In 
God's  name  let  us  do  it!    We  have  kissed  our  chains 

302 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

long  enough.  Let  us  smite  them  and  discard  them 
forever!  We  are  here,  of  many  creeds.  For  ten 
days  we  have  been  one.  That  which  has  made  us 
one  for  ten  days  can  make  us  one  henceforth  and  can 
make  Christendom  one!  Let  the  love  of  Christ  con- 
strain us !  And  when  all  who  hear  His  name  shall 
have  eyes  and  ears,  hands,  feet,  and  lips,  bodies  and 
souls,  for  Him,  and  for  Him  alone,  then  shall  be  true 
what  we  sometimes  sing : 

Like  a  mighty  army  moves  the  Church  of  God; 
Brothers,  we  are  treading  where  the  saints  have  trod ; 
We  are  not  divided ;  all  one  body  we ; 
One  in  hope  and  doctrine ;  one  in  charity. 
Onward,   Christian  soldiers,  marching  as  to  war, 
With  the  cross  of  Jesus  going  on  before ! 


303 


PART  III. 


Half  Hours  with  Jesus. 

A  fine  example  of  compactness  in  pulpit  style,  of 
theological  stateliness,  and  of  lucid  instructive  power, 
was  the  series  of  ''Short  Talks  to  Young  People," 
also  entitled  ''Half  Hours  with  Jesus,"  which  Dr. 
Behrends  began  on  Sunday  evening,  December  4, 
1898.  For  all  the  purposes  of  this  book,  it  has  been 
deemed  advisable  to  reproduce  these  "Short  Talks." 
They  were  delivered  to  large  congregations,  and  sub- 
sequently found  their  way  to  at  least  one  hundred 
thousand  homes  through  the  press. 


What  Jesus  Had  to  Say  About  His  Authority 
AS  A  Teacher. 

[December  4,  1898.] 
The  words  of  a  good  man  carry  authority  with 
them.  For  goodness  gives  clearness  of  mental  and 
moral  vision ;  and  the  most  important  things  which  we 
need  to  know  are  the  things  which  have  to  do  with 
character  and  life.  Good  men  are  our  best  teachers, 
because  the  pure  in  heart  see  God.  If  a  good  man  is 
also  a  great  man,  the  greatness  adds  much  to  his 
authority.  In  such  a  case  he  becomes  an  oracle  upon 
the  matters  of  which  he  speaks.     Great  men  who  are 

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THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

not  good  are  not  safe  leaders.  They  may  be  very 
dangerous  guides.  But  goodness  prevents  a  great 
man  from  misleading,  or  deceiving,  those  who  come 
to  him  for  instruction.  Moreover,  when  a  man  is  both 
great  and  good,  he  will  not  assume  an  authority  to 
which  he  is  not  entitled.  Greatness  makes  a  good 
man  unassuming  and  modest.  He  will  not  pretend  to 
know  when  he  is  ignorant.  He  will  not  demand  a 
confidence  to  which  he  knows  he  is  not  entitled.  He 
will  not  claim  an  obedience  to  which  he  has  no  right. 
Great  men,  when  they  are  good,  are  careful  not  to  ex- 
ceed the  limits  of  their  just  authority,  and  that  makes 
their  authority  respected. 

Jesus  Christ  was  a  good  man.  No  one  denies  that. 
Jesus  Christ  was  a  great  man.  No  one  denies  that. 
Jesus  Christ  was  the  best  man  who  ever  lived.  Every- 
body grants  that.  Jesus  Christ  was  the  greatest  man 
who  ever  lived.  He  has  won  the  love  of  millions  and 
the  grateful  admiration  of  the  world.  Everybody  ad- 
mits that,  unbelievers  as  well  as  believers.  Jesus 
Christ  embodies  goodness  and  greatness  in  their  high- 
est form.  And,  therefore,  we  cannot  suppose  that  He 
claimed  any  authority  to  which  He  was  not  entitled. 
He  could  not  pretend  to  be  what  He  was  not.  That 
would  destroy  His  goodness  and  mar  His  greatness. 
A  good  man  may  hide  his  greatness ;  but  he  will  not 
put  on  the  airs  of  a  king  when  he  is  only  an  ordinary 
subject.  Now,  Jesus  Christ  makes  the  most  amazing 
claims  concerning  His  place  and  authority.  He  called 
Himself  the  Son  of  God.  He  declared  that  He  came 
from  lieaven,  that  from  all  eternity  he  was  conscious- 
ly in   existence.      He  affirmed  His   equality   with   the 

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THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

Father.  He  claimed  authority  and  power  to  forgive 
sin,  to  raise  the  dead,  to  judge  all  men.  He  called 
upon  all  men  to  follow  Him  and  be  His  disciples.  He 
commanded  that  His  gospel  be  preached  to  every  liv- 
ing creature.  He  declared  that  He  was  entitled  to 
Divine  worship,  and  told  men  to  pray  to  Him,  to  be 
baptized  in  His  name,  and  to  remember  His  death  for 
their  salvation.  If  a  great  good  man  is  entitled  to 
confidence,  how  much  more  eagerly  ought  we  to  listen 
to  a  great  good  man  who,  by  His  own  repeated  and 
frequent  declarations,  is  God  in  the  form  of  man. 
Mary  sat  at  the  feet  of  Jesus.  She  did  not  talk;  she 
only  listened.  That  is  the  thing  for  every  one  of  us 
to  do.  Let  us  hear,  that  we  may  learn  and  live!  Let 
His  doctrine  be  our  doctrine.  Let  His  faith  be  our 
faith.  Let  His  patience  be  our  patience.  What  He 
says  let  us  believe  and  say.  And  when  He  is  silent, 
let  our  lips  be  reverently  sealed. 

As  we  read  the  gospels,  four  things  are  clearly  seen 
to  distinguish  the  works  of  Jesus  as  a  teacher. 

The  first  is  that  He  frequently  challenges  the 
teachings  of  the  scribes.  It  was  their  business  to  in- 
terpret the  law.  But  they  had  burdened  it  with  their 
traditions.  They  had  destroyed  its  simplicity  and 
its  spirituality.  They  bound  heavy  burdens  upon  the 
shoulders  of  men.  They  tithed  mint,  anise  and  cum- 
min; they  forgot  mercy  and  judgment.  They  made 
reHgion  formal  and  burdensome.  The  Sermon  on 
the  Mount  shows  us  how  Jesus  met  these  men.  Every 
paragraph  is  a  trip  hammer  blow  upon  some  false 
doctrine  or  false  practice.  'T  say  unto  you,"  is  the 
ever  recurring  challenge.     Christ  stood  alone  against 

306 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

the  doctors  of  His  day.  He  was  a  theological  re- 
former, a  merciless  iconoclast.  He  tore  into  shreds 
the  doctrine  which  was  preached  in  the  synagogues. 
No  wonder  they  hated  Him  and  slandered  Him  and 
persecuted  Him  and  killed  Him.  He  called  them 
hypocrites,  blind  leaders  of  the  blind,  wolves  in  sheep's 
clothing,  bolting  and  barring  the  gates  of  the  King- 
dom of  God,  whited  sepulchers,  a  generation  of 
vipers.  Of  course  they  raged,  gnashed  their  teeth 
and  crucified  Him. 

But,  in  the  second  place,  while  Jesus  challenged 
the  authority  of  the  scribes.  He  kept  in  close  and  con- 
tinued touch  with  the  law  and  the  prophets.  In  the 
Sermon  on  the  Mount  He  was  careful  to  state  that 
He  had  not  come  to  destroy  the  law  and  the  prophets, 
but  to  fulfill  them;  that  is,  to  rescue  and  make  plain 
their  real  meaning.  And  He  was  careful  to  add  that 
not  one  jot  or  tittle  of  this  Divine  message  could  ever 
perish  or  pass  away,  that  not  one  of  its  least  com- 
mandments could  be  set  aside.  He  tore  oflF  the  band- 
ages from  the  face  and  form  of  truth.  He  left  not  one 
mark  upon  its  fair  body.  He  did  not  lay  His  little 
finger  upon  its  lips.  He  quoted  Moses  and  David,  and 
Isaiah.  Their  hands  He  clasped.  Alone  He  stood 
against  the  scribes;  but  all  the  prophets  were  on  His 
side  and  against  them.  He  was  a  theological  reformer, 
but  He  was  at  the  same  time  a  theological  recoverer. 
He  went  back  to  the  great  originals.  The  streams  had 
been  polluted;  He  led  men  back  to  the  fountains. 
Truth  had  been  put  into  chains  and  thrust  into  a 
dungeon ;  He  tore  the  bars  asunder  and  smote  the 
manacles  by  the  word  of  His  power.    The  work  which 

307 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

Elijah  and  Isaiah  and  Paul  and  Luther  and  Calvin 
and  Wesley  did  within  comparatively  narrow  spheres, 
Jesus  did  with  a  hundredfold  more  intensity  and  com- 
prehensiveness. He  broke  the  path  for  them  all,  and 
they  have  succeeded  in  proportion  as  they  have  fol- 
lowed in  His  steps.  Thus  Jesus  was  at  once  the  most 
radical  and  the  most  conservative  of  teachers.  His 
teaching  was  new  to  His  time,  but  it  was  from  ever- 
lasting.   And  that  gave  it  omnipotent  power. 

A  third  impressive  feature  in  the  teaching  of  Jesus, 
giving  to  it  peculiar  authority,  is  the  habitual  tone  of 
profound  personal  conviction.  There  was  a  ring  in 
His  speech  which  men  missed  in  their  most  learned  and 
eloquent  teachers.  They  could  not  keep  their  eyes 
away  from  Him.  They  hung  upon  His  lips.  Nor  did 
He  confuse  them  by  the  ornaments  of  diction,  or  the 
intricacy  of  His  logic.  The  common  people  heard  him. 
gladly.  His  illustrations  were  the  simplest,  drawn 
from  the  fields  and  the  market  and  the  ordinary  occu- 
pations of  men.  He  did  not  speculate.  He  indulged 
in  no  fancies.  He  had  something  to  say  and  He  said 
it.  He  did  not  say  it  all,  but  He  said  what  was  needful. 
There  was  ever  in  Him  a  reserve  of  utterance  which 
told  upon  what  He  did  say.  And  what  He  did  say  he 
said  with  a  burning  earnestness,  with  flashing  eye 
often,  and  outstretched  hand,  an  earnestness  which 
was  spontaneous  and  which  cannot  be  simulated. 

We  know  when  a  man  means  what  he  says,  when 
he  speaks  with  the  authority  of  profound  personal 
conviction.  The  whole  body,  to  every  nerve  fiber  and 
to  finger  tips,  becomes  an  animated  gesture.  Tone, 
look,  gesture,  all  tell  the  story.     There  is  no  ranting, 

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THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

nothing  is  forced.  All  is  natural,  quiet,  intense,  under 
perfect  control,  even  when  the  sentences  rush  like 
rivers  of  fire.  Thus  did  our  Lord  speak,  and  His  hear- 
ers said :  "Never  man  spake  like  this  man."  The  secret 
was  a  simple  one.  He  spake  what  He  knew ;  He  testi- 
fied of  what  He  had  seen.  He  saw  the  darkness  of  hu- 
man ignorance.  He  knew  the  deadly  curse  of  sin,  the 
depths  of  men's  hearts  were  naked  to  His  eye.  He 
knew  the  infinite  mercy  of  God,  the  boundlessness  of 
the  divine  compassion.  He  read  the  secrets  of  the 
eternal  future.  Other  teachers  quoted  from  the  rabbis  ; 
He  never  did.  He  read  His  own  soul.  He  read  the 
hearts  of  His  hearers.  He  read  the  mind  of  God,  and 
then  He  opened  His  lips.  No  wonder  men  listened 
and  gave  thanks. 

One  more  thing  remains  to  be  said.  Jesus  taught, 
not  only  with  the  authority  of  profound  personal  con- 
viction, but  with  the  authority  derived  from  the  cer- 
tainty that  His  message  was  the  message  of  the  Eter- 
nal God.  His  message  was  His  own,  and  yet  it  was 
not  His  own.  It  had  been  given  to  Him  by  the  Father. 
With  that  eternal  authority,  He  made  every  word  of 
His  own  thrill;  so  that  when  He  spake  it  was  God 
who  spoke.  This  is  as  amazing  as  it  is  assuring  and 
comforting.  For  it  is  a  blessed  thing  that  in  Jesus 
Christ  God  speaks  by  human  lips  and  in  a  human 
tongue.  Such  speech  is  invested  with  primary  and 
perennial  authority.  Men  do  well  to  listen,  angels  do 
well  to  listen,  when  God  Incarnate  in  the  flesh  of  man 
opens  His  mouth.  Mary  sat  at  His  feet.  She  did 
well.  Let  us  take  our  station  there,  and  listen  as  did 
she! 

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THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

What  Jesus  Had  to  Say  About  the  Old  Testa- 
ment. 

[December  ii,  1898.] 
One  fact  stands  out,  clear  and  convincing,  in  the 
present  critical  debate  concerning  the  authorship,  date 
and  manner  of  composition,  and  authority,  of  the  books 
of  the  Old  Testament.  It  is  that  the  Canon  had  been 
fixed  long  before  the  time  of  Christ.  The  Old  Testa- 
ment of  the  synagogue  was  the  Old  Testament  of  the 
Christian  Church.  It  passed  unchanged  from  one 
to  the  other.  It  is  undisputed,  and  it  is  indisputable, 
that  for  at  least  two  thousand  years  no  book,  no  chap- 
ter, no  verse,  has  been  added  to,  or  taken  from,  the 
sacred  Scriptures  of  the  Jews.  Scholars  are  endeavor- 
ing to  trace  their  earlier  history  up  to  the  time  of  Moses 
and  Abraham,  two  thousand  years  or  more,  and  even 
beyond  that  to  the  first  appearance  of  man.  It  has 
proved  to  be  a  task  of  amazing  magnitude,  and  if  we 
date  the  critical  movement  to  Astruc,  145  years  have 
been  devoted  to  it ;  if  to  Spinoza,  228  years.  It  would 
seem  as  if  the  literary  problem  ought  to  have  been 
solved  by  this  time.  So  far  is  it  from  having  been 
solved,  that  all  competent  scholars  are  agreed  that  the 
problem  grows  in  intricacy  as  it  is  studied.  Astruc 
found  two  documents  in  the  Pentateuch ;  ten  times  that 
number  are  not  enough,  as  a  working  basis,  for  the 
modern  critic.  He  has  a  first  and  a  second  Elohist; 
then  a  Jahvist,  and  then  a  Redactor,  combining  and 
revising  the  work  of  his  three  predecessors.  He  has  a 
first  and  a  second  Deuteronomist ;  and  then  another 
Redactor,  combining  and  revising  the  work  of  his  six 
predecessors.     Then  he  comes  to  the  Priestcode,  and 

310 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

here  he  is  lost  in  a  labyrinth  of  conjectures.  The  legis- 
lation bears  traces  of  the  highest  antiquity,  while  its 
present  form  is  located  a  thousand  years  after  Moses. 
It  is  claimed  to  be  a  statutory  evolution,  covering  a 
period  of  at  least  fifteen  hundred  years.  We  codify  our 
laws  by  dropping  out  statutes  which  have  become  obso- 
lete or  have  been  repealed.  The  Priestcode  is  supposed 
to  combine  the  laws  of  fifty  successive  generations, 
without  reference  to  their  chronological  order.  The 
simple  statement  of  the  problem  is  enough  to  make 
clear  the  tremendous  difficulty  of  the  undertaking,  and 
an  increasing  number  of  students  is  coming  to  regard 
the  problem  as  hopelessly  insoluble. 

But,  meanwhile,  the  Old  Testament,  as  it  lies  in 
our  hands,  has  held  its  present  place  at  least  two 
thousand  years;  and  from  the  gospels  we  can  learn 
what  Jesus  Christ  had  to  say  about  it,  and  how  he  used 
it.  The  problems  of  literary  criticism  need  not  disturb 
us.  Conjecture  rules  this  entire  field.  There  are  only 
two  questions  which  are  of  practical  importance. 
These  concern  the  truth  of  the  history  and  the  author- 
ity of  the  doctrine;  and  against  neither  has  criti- 
cism been  able  to  make  a  successful  assault.  The 
doctrine  has  held  its  ground  by  its  own  weight. 
It  is  its  own  evidence.  The  history  has  held  its  ground 
by  its  simplicity  and  interior  consistency;  while  the 
proposed  reconstructions  have  thrown  the  material 
into  inextricable  confusion,  have  left  everything  hang- 
ing in  air  and  made  the  whole  story  unintelligible.  So 
that  the  history,  Hkc  the  doctrine,  shines  in  its  own 
light. 

Jesus  Christ  was  a  man  of  one  book,  as  He  was 

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THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

a  man  of  one  idea.  He  came  to  seek  and  to  save  the 
lost,  and  to  give  His  life  a  ransom  for  many.  He 
came  to  fulfill  the  law  and  the  prophets,  to  make  clear 
and  complete  their  divine  teaching.  His  educational 
advantages  were  limited.  Nazareth  was  poorly 
equipped  in  schools,  and  Christ  grew  up  in  a  car- 
penter's home.  There  were  famous  schools  in  Jeru- 
salem, but  the  poverty  of  His  condition  placed  them 
beyond  His  reach.  He  could  read,  and  He  could 
write ;  but  books  were  few  in  the  Galilean  village.  The 
synagogue  was  His  great  mental  opportunity,  where 
He  became  familiar  with  the  Scriptures  of  the  Old 
Testament.  From  them  He  frequently  quoted,  to  them 
He  frequently  appealed;  and,  so  far  as  the  record 
shows,  He  never  quoted  from,  nor  appealed  to,  any 
other  book.  Paul  was  sent  to  the  school  of  Gamaliel, 
the  most  famous  teacher  of  his  day ;  and  his  epistles 
bear  the  traces  of  his  Rabbinical  teaching.  Nothing 
of  the  kind  can  be  discovered  in  our  Lord's  sayings. 
At  Athens,  Paul  quoted  a  line  from  an  obscure  Greek 
poet;  and  while  this  line  may  have  been  caught  up  by 
Paul  as  a  popular  current  phrase,  his  residence  at 
Tarsus  and  his  standing  as  a  free-born  Roman  citizen 
make  it  more  than  probable  that  he  had  some  acquaint- 
ance with  Greek  and  Roman  literature.  The  dis- 
courses of  Christ  are  wholly  wanting  in  the  most 
shadowy  suggestions  of  any  such  knowledge.  They 
do  reveal  a  close  and  comprehensive  knowledge  of  the 
contents  of  the  Old  Testament.  In  the  fragments 
which  tlie  gospels  contain,  there  are  quotations  from 
Genesis,  Exodus,  Leviticus,  Nunil)ers,  Deuteronomy, 
First     Samuel,     First     Kings,     Second     Chronicles, 

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THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

Proverbs,  Psalms,  Isaiah.  Jcrcniiali,  Daniel,  Hosea, 
Jonal],  Zachariali  and  Malaclii.  The  Lcvitical  law  he 
referred  to  as  Mosaic  legislation.  The  patriarchs  were 
spoken  of  as  historical  personages.  The  wilderness 
life,  with  its  miraculous  supply  of  manna  and  of  water, 
was  assumed  to  have  been  real.  The  Psalter  is  spoken 
of  as  containing  hymns  from  David's  pen.  That 
Sodom  and  Gomorrah  were  destroyed  by  the  fiery 
hail,  that  Jonah  preached  in  Nineveh,  that  the  Queen 
of  Sheba  visited  Solomon  in  his  royal  court,  that 
Naaman  was  healed  of  his  leprosy  by  Elisha,  Jesus 
assumed  to  be  well-established  facts.  Not  a  syllable 
ever  escaped  His  lips  suggesting  that  any  part  of  the 
record  was  legendary  or  mythical,  much  less  that  it  was 
a  prophetic  parable,  whose  only  value  was  its  moral. 
Jesus  used  the  record  as  if  it  were  true;  believing  it 
Himself,  and  expecting  everybody  else  to  believe  it. 

The  acquaintance  of  Jesus  with  the  Old  Testament 
appears  also  in  the  structure  of  His  sentences  and  in 
their  contents.  There  are  many  unique  features.  The 
thoughts  of  Christ  were  His  own ;  they  were  not  bor- 
rowed. The  speech  of  Christ  was  His  own;  it  was 
not  based  upon  current  models.  But  fibered  upon 
this  originality,  in  thought  and  speech,  was  the  Old 
Testament  way  of  looking  at  things  and  speaking  of 
them.  Jesus  may  be  said  to  have  absorbed  the  Old 
Testament,  and  so  the  Old  Testament  coloring  appears 
constantly  in  His  phrases  and  sentences.  This  was  not 
the  result  of  careful  verbal  memorizing,  but  of  a  com- 
plete mastery  of  the  Old  Testament  as  an  organic 
unity.  He  knew  it  by  heart,  and  from  the  heart  and 
at  the  heart. 

313 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

As  unreservedly  as  Jesus  accepted  the  truth  of  the 
Old  Testament  narrative  did  He  recognize  and  affirm 
the  divine  authority  of  the  Old  Testament  doctrine. 
He  did  not  revise  or  repeal  the  Ten  Commandments. 
He  found  them  buried  beneath  a  mass  of  Pharisaic 
traditions.  Upon  these  he  poured  His  angry  scorn, 
and  rescued  for  the  Decalogue  its  ancient  and  spirit- 
ual meaning.  The  prophets  were  honored  as  preach- 
ing a  divine  message  and  as  doing  a  divine  work;  a 
message  and  a  work,  not  for  their  day  only,  but  for 
every  day  and  for  all  men. 

Much  is  said,  at  present,  of  revelation  as  a  gradual 
unfolding  of  the  mind  and  will  of  God.  The  Bible 
is  spoken  of  as  a  literary  evolution  or  growth.  No  one 
perceived  this  more  clearly,  or  stated  it  more  plainly, 
than  Jesus  Christ.  While  He  claimed  divine  authority 
for  the  Old  Testament,  He  affirmed  also  its  incomplete- 
ness. Of  some  things  He  declared  that  Moses  per- 
mitted them  because  of  the  hardness  of  heart  of  those 
with  whom  He  had  to  deal.  Of  other  things  He  de- 
clared that  they  were  incomplete  as  moral  precepts, 
and  then  He  announced  the  broader  rule  under  which 
they  must  be  made  to  fall.  This  is  notably  the  case 
in  making  love  our  duty  to  enemies  as  well  as  to 
friends.  Of  His  own  hearers,  Jesus  said  that  they 
had  seen  and  heard  what  prophets  had  longed  to  see 
and  hear.  They  looked  upon,  and  listened  to,  a  greater 
than  Solomon  or  Jonah.  John  the  Baptist  was  the 
greatest  of  all  the  prophetic  line,  and  yet  the  humblest 
Christian  disciple  was  far  in  advance  of  him.  Even 
of  himself  he  said  that  under  the  guidance  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  there  would  be  a  great  and  continuous  advance 

314 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

in  the  knowledge  of  divine  things.  Thus  to  the  divine 
authority  of  the  Old  Testament  he  added  the  continuity 
and  the  progressiveness  of  the  divine  revelation. 

But  this  continuity  and  progressiveness  of  revelation 
were  not  left  hanging  in  the  air.  The  development  had 
its  law  and  goal.  It  was  a  bold  and  startling  thing 
for  our  Lord  to  say,  but  He  said  it  again  and  again — 
that  the  entire  Old  Testament,  from  cover  to  cover, 
pointed  to  Him,  and  was  fulfilled  in  Him.  'These 
Scriptures,"  he  exclaimed,  "testify  of  Me!"  Not  in 
occasional  and  isolated  passages,  but  in  the  whole 
sweep  and  movement  of  their  narrative  and  doctrine. 
The  day  which  Abraham  saw  was  His  day.  The  king 
of  whom  David  spoke  was  none  other  than  Himself. 
No  man  could  understand  and  believe  Moses  without 
believing  in  Himself.  And  of  the  guidance  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  He  said  that  its  burden  and  aim  would  be 
to  make  Himself  understood.  Thus  He  planted  Him- 
self at  the  very  center  and  heart  of  divine  revelation. 
The  Old  Testament  finds  its  goal  in  Him.  The  New 
Testament  finds  its  source  in  Him.  Both  find  in  Him 
their  law  and  meaning.  And,  therefore,  it  remains 
forever  true  that  as  we  come  to  the  knowledge  of  Jesus 
Christ  only  through  the  written  word,  this  knowledge 
passes  into  a  personal  experience,  which  in  turn  con- 
ducts us  into  a  deeper  and  sweeter  knowledge  of  the 
Holy  Scriptures.  His  face  shines  from  every  page, 
and  gives  them  their  unfading  beauty  and  their  celes- 
tial charm ! 


315 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

What  Jesus  Had  to  Say  About  the  Guidance  of 
THE  Church  by  Himself. 

[December  i8,  1898.] 

In  considering  the  guidance  which  Jesus  promised 
and  pledged  to  His  disciples,  the  first  thing  to  be 
emphasized  is  that  He  spoke  of  it  as  an  extraordinary 
and  supernatural  leadership.  The  influence  of  good 
and  great  men  does  not  end  with  death.  Fathers  and 
mothers  live  in  their  children,  and  their  children's  chil- 
dren. Good  and  evil  moral  influences  are  perpetuated 
through  generations  and  centuries.  The  great  poets 
and  philosophers,  the  great  architects  and  artists,  the 
great  statesmen  and  military  captains,  the  great  philan- 
thropists and  theologians  become  mightier  as  time 
passes.  In  many  instances  these  men  were  despised 
and  persecuted,  imprisoned  and  put  to  death  by  their 
own  generation — as  were  Socrates,  and  Paul,  and 
Bunyan — while  we  crown  them  with  unfading  laurels. 
Death  has  often  secured  a  wider  and  more  reverent 
hearing.  But  the  influence  has  been  impersonal  in 
form.  The  thoughts  and  the  deeds  of  these  men  have 
been  preserved;  by  means  of  them  the  memory  has 
retained  their  ideals  and  achievements,  molding  con- 
viction and  conduct  for  many  centuries.  The  actors 
themselves  exercise  no  conscious  personal  control. 
They  do  not  break  through  the  screen  of  death. 

Jesus  has  shared  with  other  great  and  good  men 
this  power  of  impersonal  influence  by  the  perpetuation 
in  memory,  through  literary  records,  of  what  He  did 
and  said.  The  Gospels  are  the  simplest  and  the  short- 
est of  books,  and  yet  these  brief  and  artless  pamphlets 

316 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

have  exerted  a  more  powerful  and  extended  influence 
than  all  other  books  combined.  Granting  all  this,  it 
still  remains  true  that  this  does  not  cover  what  Jesus 
had  to  say  about  His  leadership  through  succeeding 
generations  to  the  end  of  time,  and  it  does  not  explain 
the  secret  of  the  conquering  advance  of  Christianity. 
For,  to  say  no  more,  there  are  two  supernatural  facts 
which  the  literary  records  have  carved  deep  into  the 
tablets  of  Christian  confession  and  conviction — the  in- 
carnation and  the  resurrection.  Eliminate  these  two, 
and  the  New  Testament,  grounded  in  the  Gospel  story, 
sinks  to  the  level  of  the  "Arabian  Nights"  tales.  In 
the  recognition  of  Jesus  as  God  manifest  in  the  flesh 
and  in  His  resurrection  from  the  dead  the  Gospel  has 
always  found  the  heart  of  its  message.  Its  power  is 
in  these  supernatural  facts.  And  with  these  is  joined 
a  third  supernatural  fact,  the  personal  leadership  of 
Jesus,  by  the  presence  and  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
The  disciples  were  commanded  to  tarry  in  Jerusalem 
until  the  Holy  Ghost  should  come  upon  them;  and  in 
the  miracle  of  Pentecost  the  church  received  its  peren- 
nial anointing.  Such  is  the  plain  record.  It  was  not 
unexpected.  Peter  regarded  it  as  the  fulfillment  of 
prophecy.  Jesus  Himself,  in  His  farewell  discourses, 
had  much  to  say  about  another  Comforter,  whom  He 
would  send,  whose  presence  should  never  be  with- 
drawn, who  would  carry  on  and  complete  what  He, 
in  mortal  flesh,  had  begun.  The  form  of  leadership 
was  to  change,  but  the  reality  was  to  remain.  It  was 
to  be  supernatural  and  personal,  as  His  own  had  been. 
And,  though  changed  in  form,  it  was  to  remain  His 
own.     He  promised  to  be  with  His  disciples,  by  the 

2>^7 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

Holy  Spirit,  to  the  end  of  the  world.  Leadership  was 
not  surrendered.  Just  as  He  had  come  to  do  the 
Father's  work,  so  the  Spirit  was  to  do  His  work.  Just 
as  the  Father  spoke  and  wrought  in  Him,  and  by  Him, 
so  He  would  speak  and  work  in  and  by  the  Holy  Spirit. 
The  leadership  was  to  be  supernatural  and  personal. 
And  so  it  is  represented  in  the  historical  sketch  which 
the  Book  of  Acts  supplies,  and  in  the  epistles.  Jesus 
was  not  withdrawn  from  personal  leadership;  but  by 
His  Spirit  on  earth,  and  by  His  intercession  in  the 
heavens,  He  is  conducting  the  great  moral  campaign 
of  a  world's  sanctification  and  redemption. 

The  supernatural  personal  guidance  of  Jesus  covers 
four  things.  It  is  a  supernatural  personal  guidance 
into  the  knowledge  of  the  way  of  salvation.  To  Him 
belongs  the  leadership  in  Christian  thought.  He  did 
not  cease  to  instruct  His  disciples  when  He  took  His 
departure  from  them.  He  continued  to  teach  them 
by  the  Holy  Spirit;  and  this  teaching  was  specifically 
confined  to  the  recalling  and  the  understanding  of 
what  on  earth  He  had  said  and  done.  And,  as  if  to 
show  that  this  intellectual  guidance  was  not  to  be 
confined  to  such  as  had  enjoyed  His  personal  acquaint- 
ance, Saul  of  Tarsus  was  invested  with  apostolic 
authority.  He  does  not  reproduce  the  discourses  and 
the  miracles  of  Christ,  with  which  he  was  not  person- 
ally conversant;  but  he  confined  himself  to  the  three 
outstanding  historical  facts,  the  Incarnation,  the 
Atonement  and  the  Resurrection.  History  cannot  be 
written  on  the  day  when  it  is  made.  Some  time 
must  elapse  before  the  facts  are  seen  in  their  true 
perspective.      But    its    main   outlines   must   be   given 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

while  the  facts  are  still  fresh  in  the  memory.  The 
gospels  and  the  epistles  conform  to  this  double  demand. 
They  are  not  stenographic  reports  of  what  Jesus  said 
and  did,  written  down  at  the  time  of  their  utterance  and 
occurrence.  Time  enough  was  permitted  to  pass  to 
allow  what  had  been  said  and  done  to  reveal  its  real  and 
permanent  meaning.  And  yet  the  work  of  recording 
was  done  within  thirty  years  after  Christ's  death,  while 
the  sayings  and  the  deeds  were  fresh  in  remembrance. 
This  gives  to  the  gospels  and  the  epistles  their  unique 
authority  as  Christian  literature,  composed  under  the 
guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit  under  conditions  which 
make  their  trustworthiness  and  authority  impregnable. 
To  these  historical  and  doctrinal  sources  we  must  ever 
appeal  as  the  final  and  infallible  court  of  Christian 
arbitration.  Still,  we  must  not  forget  that  the  super- 
natural personal  guidance  of  Jesus  in  the  knowledge 
of  the  way  of  salvation  was  not  limited  to  the  age  of 
the  apostles.  It  was  never  withdrawn ;  it  is  not  absent 
now;  it  never  will  be  wanting.  The  gift  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  and  in  it  the  personal  guidance  of  Jesus,  is  a 
perpetual  gift.  He  is  still  the  great  teacher,  and  guides 
His  church  into  all  truth.  Creeds  and  councils  are 
not  infallible ;  nevertheless,  in  creeds  and  councils  the 
Holy  Ghost  speaks.  There  is  a  certain  definite  Chris- 
tian confession  which  has  commanded  universal  accept- 
ance. There  is  a  historic  and  immutable  doctrine,  the 
general  outlines  of  which  have  become  increasingly 
clear.  There  is  an  incessant  winnowing  process  in 
which  the  chafif  is  separated  from  tlie  wheat.  The  inci- 
dental, the  speculative,  the  scholastic  elements  drop 
away  and  are  discarded;  the  real  and  the  substantial 

3^9 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

hold  their  orroiiiul  Ijecausc  Jesus,  hy  His  Spirit,  is 
guiding  His  church  into  the  truth. 

The  guidance  of  Jesus  is  a  supernatural  personal 
guidance  into  holy  character  and  life.  The  process  of 
sanctification  is  described  as  our  looking  into  His  face 
until  we  are  transfigured  into  His  likeness.  He  is 
more  than  our  example  and  pattern.  He  is  the  power 
of  God  unto  salvation.  Faith  in  Him  means  fellowship 
with  Him,  and  surrender  to  Him.  We  dwell  in  Him, 
and  He  dwells  in  us.  We  dwell  in  Him  by  faith ;  He 
dwells  in  us  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  There  is  a  vital,  per- 
sonal intercommunication  and  exchange.  As  He  was 
made  sin  for  us,  so  we  became  the  righteousness  of 
God  to  Him.  The  process  is  not  mechanical  and  mer- 
cantile ;  it  falls  under  the  law  of  vital  organic  union. 
We  are  the  branches,  He  is  the  supporting  and  nour- 
ishing vine.  He  imparts  to  us  His  own  spirit  of  life. 
It  is  a  supernatural,  personal  relation,  from  the  very 
beginning,  and  without  interruption.  When  you  open 
the  faucet  the  water  rushes  out  under  pressure  from  the 
unseen  reservoir.  So,  when  faith  opens  the  heart,  the 
Spirit  of  life  in  Christ  Jesus  flows  in  for  cleansing 
and  healing,  finding  its  way  into  every  hidden  nook  and 
corner.  This  is  the  great  task  of  faith,  to  keep  the 
channels  open,  that  Jesus  Christ  may  keep  them  full. 

Finally,  the  guidance  of  Jesus  is  a  supernatural 
personal  guidance  in  the  service  which  He  has  com- 
manded us  to  render.  That  service  is  nothing  less 
than  the  conversion  of  the  world  to  Him,  by  the 
preaching  of  His  gospel.  It  is  an  audacious  and  ar- 
duous task.  Sceptics  laugh  at  it.  The  church  itself, 
in  large  measure,  is  doubtful  and  indifferent.    Its  ulti- 

320 


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THE    CHRIST    OP    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

mate  success,  however,  is  assured,  because  Christ 
Himself  carries  the  responsibiUties  and  the  resources 
of  leadership.  Already,  in  the  closing  years  of  our 
century,  we  are  witnessing  political  changes  and  na- 
tional upheavals,  which  remind  us  of  the  eras  of  Con- 
stantine  and  of  Luther.  We  are  on  the  brink  of  an- 
other great  world  movement,  in  which  the  barriers  of 
centuries  are  giving  way.  The  guns  of  our  navy  have 
opened  the  Philippine  Islands  to  the  gospel.  These 
islands  are  the  outposts  of  the  Asiatic  continent.  With 
them  in  our  possession  and  under  our  flag,  China  must 
break  its  shell  and  give  free  entrance  to  Christianity. 
Crowded  on  the  north  by  Russia,  on  the  south  by  Eng- 
land and  on  the  east  by  Japan  and  the  United  States, 
the  field  must  soon  be  swept  by  Christian  forces.  An 
invisible  but  invincible  Captain  heads  the  advancing 
columns,  who,  whether  friendly  or  hostile  to  each 
other,  are  obeying  His  marching  orders.  And  what 
is  true  abroad  is  true  at  home ;  Jesus  Christ  is  leading 
His  church  to  victory. 


What  Jesus  Had  to  Say  About  God. 

[January  i,  1899.] 

In  our  theological  seminaries  the  classification  of  the 
divine  attributes  is  a  very  important  section  of  system- 
atic divinity.  An  attribute  is  that  which  we  attribute 
to  a  thing  or  person ;  it  is  our  mental  notion  of  that 
thing  or  person.  Our  conceptions  of  God  are  various, 
and  the  mind  naturally  seeks  to  formulate  them  under 
the  idea  of  unity,  and  to  arrange  them  in  a  definite 

321 

11 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

and  satisfactory  order.  These  attempts  have  been  very 
numerous,  and  the  rival  advocates  have  been  very 
strenuous  and  earnest;  but  the  debate  has  not  been 
very  fruitful  of  practical  results.  An  exact  and  ex- 
haustive science  of  God  has  not  been  reached  and  it 
cannot  be  reached.  The  Infinite  and  the  Eternal  can- 
not be  reduced  to  a  logical  diagram.  We  cannot  break 
through  our  constitutional  limitations.  We  cannot 
grasp  the  stars;  our  arms  are  too  short.  We  cannot 
lift  the  ocean  from  its  bed;  our  hands  are  too  small. 
We  cannot  define  God ;  we  are  too  poor  in  thought 
and  too  impotent  in  speech.  We  must  be  content  with 
such  partial  and  practical  knowledge  as  comes  to  us 
in  observation,  experience  and  revelation.  We  may 
know  something  of  God  by  the  patient  study  of  the 
work  of  His  hands.  We  may  enlarge  our  knowledge 
from  the  lessons  of  personal  experience  and  of  his- 
tory, which  constitute  a  divine  discipline.  And  we 
may  rectify  and  complete  our  knowledge  from  the 
careful  study  of  the  Scriptures,  and  from  the  teaching 
of  Jesus  Christ,  in  whom  the  fullness  of  the  Godhead 
dwelletli  bodily.  He  who  knows  Jesus  Christ  knows 
God,  and  he  only  does. 

If  we  will  only  follow  this  simple  clue,  coming  to 
the  knowledge  of  the  Father  through  the  Son,  the  re- 
sult cannot  fail  to  be  enriching  and  gratifying.  No 
single  utterance  of  Jesus,  not  all  others  combined,  gives 
us  so  practical  and  pleasing  a  knowledge  of  God  as 
His  word  to  Philip:  "He  that  hath  seen  Me  hath 
seen  the  Father."  He  speaks  not  merely  as  the  repre- 
sentative of  the  Father.  He  speaks  with  more  than 
prophetic  authority;  neither  Moses  nor  Isaiah  would 

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THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

have  ventured  to  say  that.  He  justifies  the  amazing 
statement  by  grounding  it  upon  a  vital  mutual  inher- 
ence of  the  Father  and  Himself :  '1  am  in  the  Father, 
and  the  Father  in  Me."  The  inherence  is  mutual  and 
unlimited,  so  that  v^hen  He  speaks,  God  speaks ;  when 
He  acts,  God  acts ;  v^hen  He  suffers,  God  suffers ; 
when  He  dies,  God  dies.  What  He  is  God  is.  This 
makes  it  certain  that  God  is  a  conscious  personal  be- 
ing; not  unconscious,  distributed,  impersonal  force,  or 
a  ''power  that  makes  for  righteousness."  This  makes 
it  certain  that  moral  qualities  are  the  same  in  God  as 
they  are  in  man.  They  can  be,  and  they  have  been, 
accurately  photographed  in  a  human  life.  There  is 
anger  in  God  which  smites  the  hypocrite,  and  scourges 
those  who  convert  the  house  of  prayer  into  a  den  of 
thieves  ;  there  is  compassion  in  God,  whicli  finds  vent 
in  tears  and  groans ;  there  is  forgiveness  with  and  in 
God,  which  does  not  shrink  from  the  Magdalen's 
touch,  which  does  not  crush  one  whom  the  synagogue 
had  condemned  to  death,  which  does  not  turn  away 
from  the  dying  thief.  When  we  dare  to  make  our 
knowledge  of  Jesus  the  measure  and  standard  of  our 
knowledge  of  God,  because  He  is  God  of  very  God, 
God  in  the  form  of  man,  we  plant  our  feet  upon  the 
rock  which  cannot  be  shaken. 

There  are  other  things,  however,  which  Jesus  had 
to  say  about  God  which  must  l)e  taken  into  account 
for  the  completion  of  our  knowledge.  If  we  confined 
attention  to  this  only,  tliat  what  Jesus  is,  God  is,  we 
might  infer  that  God  had  bodily  parts,  that  His  pres- 
ence was  ItKal,  that  hunger,  thirst  and  weariness  per- 
tained to  His  essential  and  eternal  life.     So  some  have 

323 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

maintained.  But  the  correction  is  supplied  by  a  sec- 
ond great  utterance  of  Jesus  in  His  conversation  at 
Jacob's  well  with  the  woman  of  Samaria — "God  is 
Spirit."  The  statement  is  unconditional  and  absolute. 
The  article  is  wanting.  God  is  not  a  spirit,  but  Spirit ; 
nothing  else.  He  has  no  local  habitation.  The  eye 
cannot  see  Him.  The  ear  cannot  hear  Him.  The 
hands  cannot  feel  Him.  He  has  no  bodily  parts.  He 
has  no  material  organism.  Matter  does  not  cling  to 
Him,  does  not  Hmit  Him.  So  whatever  limitations  or 
sufferings  apply  to  Jesus  as  possessing  and  acting 
through  a  material  body  must  not  be  applied  to  the  es- 
sential being  of  God.  The  reminder  that  God  is  Spirit 
forbids  that.  The  eternal  God  does  not  hunger,  does 
not  thirst,  does  not  sleep,  is  not  weary,  is  not  locall}' 
confined.  Matter  does  not  cleave  to  Him ;  it  is  the 
product  of  His  creative  energy.  He  breaks  the  bread, 
but  does  not  eat  it.  He  smites  the  rock,  but  does  not 
drink  of  the  stream ;  He  giveth  sleep,  but  does  not 
slumber.  The  spiritual  qualities  in  the  life  of  Jesus 
are  the  qualities  by  which  the  eternal  being  of  God 
is  to  be  interpreted  and  measured.  As  pure  Spirit  He 
is  personal  and  self-conscious.  He  thinks.  He  feels, 
He  wills.  As  pure  Spirit  He  is  self-originating  and 
self-sufficient :  He  is  omnipotent,  omniscient,  eternal, 
absolute.  As  pure  Spirit  His  presence  is  illocal ;  He 
is  omnipresent.  As  pure  Spirit  He  is  immanent  in  the 
universe;  and  as  pure  Spirit  He  is  transcendent  in 
His  immanence ;  omnipresent,  but  not  imprisoned  and 
confined.  A  simple  thing  is  to  say,  **God  is  Spirit;" 
but  the  phrase  holds  vast  treasures  in  the  knowledge 
of  God. 

324 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

Jesus  had  more  to  say.  That  definition  of  God 
which  describes  Him  as  pure  Spirit  carries  in  it  the 
danger  that  we  may  lose  ourselves  in  speculative  con- 
templation. It  thrusts  us  into  an  open,  boundless  sea, 
where  we  may  speedily  lose  ourselves.  We  sail  away 
until  all  shore  lines  disappear,  and  until  the  waters  be- 
come so  deep  that  we  can  find  no  grip  for  our  anchors. 
The  infinite  and  the  eternal  paralyze  us.  The  very 
vastness  of  our  thought  makes  it  empty.  We  cannot 
lay  hold  upon  it.  The  glory  bHnds  us.  But  Jesus 
comes  to  our  rescue.  By  a  third  simple  utterance  He 
teaches  us  how  to  crystallize  and  make  practical  our 
knowledge  of  God  as  pure  Spirit.  He  does  this  by 
telling  us  that  God  is  "Father."  That  is  something  we 
can  understand,  and  the  most  undisciplined  thought 
can  grasp  it.  That  is  something  we  can  understand 
when  we  sink  into  mental  despair  in  the  attempt  to 
grasp  God  in  His  eternity,  in  His  absoluteness,  in  His 
omnipotence,  in  His  omnipresence,  in  His  immanence 
and  in  His  transcendence.  Head  and  heart  find  rest 
in  the  thought  of  God  as  Father.  And  when  we  ana- 
lyze the  idea  of  fatherhood  we  find  that  it  implies  ab- 
solute authority,  authority  grounded  in  infinite  wis- 
dom, wisdom  displayed  in  universal  impartiality  and 
immutable  justice,  justice  directed  by  love.  As  Father, 
God  can  be  indiflferent  to  none.  As  Father,  God  can 
neglect  none.  As  Father,  God  can  be  cruel  to  none. 
As  Father,  God  can  be  no  respecter  of  persons.  There 
must  be  love  in  justice,  and  justice  in  love.  There 
must  be  long-suflfering  in  severity,  and  severity  in 
long-suffering.  As  Father,  the  obedience  which  God 
demands  must  be  reasonable.     His  law  must  be  holy 

325 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

and  good.  His  commandments  cannot  be  grievous. 
As  Father,  the  discipline  to  which  God  subjects  us, 
even  in  its  bitterst  severity,  must  be  sakitary  and  sav- 
ing. It  is  our  good  He  seeks.  There  must  be  sweet- 
ness in  the  cup  of  gall.  There  must  be  healing  in  the 
divine  surgery.  It  cannot  be  otherwise  if  God  be 
Father.  But  the  Fatherhood  cannot  make  itself  effect- 
ive unless  in  you,  and  in  me,  and  in  us  all,  it  provoke 
the  spirit  of  filial  confidence  and  affection.  It  may  be 
high  noon  outside,  and  midnight  in  a  chamber  where 
all  the  windows  are  closely  shuttered.  We  must  fling 
the  casements  back  and  let  the  light  come  in !  Then 
shall  God  the  Father  be  our  Sun  and  our  Shield ! 


What  Jesus  Had  to  Say  About  the  Soul  of  Man. 

[January  8,  1899.] 
There  is  no  ignorance  more  general,  there  is  no 
carelessness  more  painful  and  surprising,  there  is  no 
neglect  more  widespread  than  the  ignorance,  the 
carelessness  and  the  neglect  which  concerns  the  hu- 
man soul.  Greek  and  Roman  culture  placed  the  coro- 
net upon  the  body.  It  trained  athletes  and  soldiers, 
and  to  gain  five  consecutive  prizes  in  the  Olympian 
games  assured  universal  and  immortal  fame.  The 
man  who  could  jump  fifty-five  feet  outranked  philoso- 
phers, statesmen  and  saints.  The  laurel  wreath  was 
the  halo  of  perfection.  No  wonder  that  the  pleasures 
of  sense  absorbed  attention.  Tt)  eat,  to  drink  and  to 
be  merry  was  all  that  men  cared  for.  Gluttony,  drunk- 
enness and  tlie  grossest  sensuality  were  the  attendants 
at  every  feast.     Men  and  women  sat  down  to  eat  with 

326 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

deliberate    intention    to    make  beasts    of    themselves. 
There  was  no  thought  of  the  soul.     Even  the  hour  of 
death  was  used  for  dramatic  effect ;  and  men  invited 
their  friends  to  a  banquet,  at  the  close  of  which  they 
would  cut  their  veins  and  bleed  to  death,  while  the 
company   quietly   looked   on.     And   then   they   would 
build  great  mausoleums  over  their  ashes.     The  soul 
was  ignored  and  neglected ;  the  body  was  pampered  and 
adored.     The  idea  of  immortality  was  openly  flouted. 
Cicero  pleaded  for  it  on  the  ground  of  sentiment ;  the 
more  practical  Caesar,  speaking  officially  in  the  senate, 
denied  it.     The  ancient  scepticism  survives.     ^len  are 
not  sure,  even  now,  whether  they  are  more  than  ani- 
mated matter,  and  whether  they  have  any  higher  des- 
tiny than  the  cattle  whose  flesh  they  eat.     We  are  told 
that  habits  are  "muscular  emotions,"  and  that  the  train- 
ing of  the  body  should  be  the  primary  aim  of  educa- 
tion.   We  have  sloughed  off  some  of  the  coarser  habits 
of  our  ancestry.   We  are  more  refined.   But  the  change 
is  mainly  in  appearance.    The  old  idolatry  of  the  body 
holds  its  ground.     Thousands  live  as  if  they  had  no 
souls ;  they  certainly  do  not  Hve  as  if  they  believed  it. 
They  are  utterly  and  habitually  indifferent  to  all  high 
and  holy  claims.     The  days  and  the  nights,  including 
the  Sundays  of  the  year,  are  given  up  to  material  in- 
terests and  enjoyments.     For  the  slightest  bodily  ail- 
ment the  physician  is  summoned.     Whatever  will  add 
to  bodily   grace   and   vigor   is   assiduously  employed. 
Physical  tortures  are  endured  for  the  sake  of  a  more 
pleasing  appearance.     Every  part  of  the  body  has  its 
specialists,  whose  services  are  eagerly  sought.   But  the 
poor  soul  is  left  to  silence  and  starvation.     There  is 

327 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

nothing  more  important  for  men  to  know  than  that 
they  are  immortal  souls ;  there  is  nothing  to  which 
they  are  more  indifferent. 

The  men  among  whom  Jesus  lived  were  carried 
away  by  the  same  blind  infatuation.  They  robed  them- 
selves in  purple  and  fine  linen.  They  fared  sumptu- 
ously every  day.  It  was  only  bodily  defilement  which 
was  offensive  to  them.  They  had  their  splendidly  ap- 
pointed baths  and  washed  their  hands  many  times  a 
day,  but  to  the  cleansing  of  their  souls  they  gave  no 
heed.  Even  the  religious  teachers  were  whited  sepul- 
chers,  who  made  broad  their  phylacteries  and  prayed 
in  the  public  squares  to  attract  attention,  meanwhile 
devouring  widows'  houses ;  so  rotten  many  of  them, 
in  their  moral  life,  that  they  slunk  away  in  shame  from 
the  woman  whose  death  they  demanded,  when  Jesus 
quietly  said,  "He  that  is  without  sin  among  you,  let  him 
first  cast  a  stone  at  her."  Not  a  hand  stirred.  In  the 
theology  of  that  age  there  was  a  doctrine  of  the  soul, 
and  of  its  immortality,  and  yet  the  fashionable  party 
was  that  of  the  Sadducees,  who  were  pronounced 
materialists  and  who  retained  their  standing  in  the 
synagogue.  The  courts  of  the  temple  were  systemati- 
cally profaned  by  petty  merchants  and  money  changers, 
and  when  Jesus  drove  them  out,  the  guardians  of  the 
temple  sharply  challenged  His  right  to  interference. 
Such  things  were  not  only  permitted ;  they  were  done 
by  official  sanction.  Of  course,  the  people  made  short 
work  of  their  religious  duties,  and  there  was  no  heart  in 
their  piety.  It  was  a  moral  wilderness  in  which  John 
the  Baptist  lifted  up  his  voice,  amazing  the  multitudes 
by  his  strange  preaching.     He  believed  in  the  soul, 

328 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

living  in  a  cave,  rough  clad,  eating  locusts  and  wild 
honey.  Men  looked  and  listened  and  went  away,  say- 
ing, ''He  hath  a  devil."  And  when  Jesus  summoned 
men  to  be  indififerent  to  food  and  raiment  and  chief 
seats  at  the  feasts  and  emphasized  the  infinite  dignity 
of  the  soul.  His  hearers  said  the  same  thing.  It  was 
foolishness  in  their  eyes ;  it  was  rank  insanity.  The 
young  man  of  whom  it  is  said  that  Jesus  loved  him, 
favorably  impressed  by  his  appearance  and  evident 
sincerity,  turned  sorrowfully  away  when  he  was  asked 
to  strip  himself  of  his  wealth  and  follow  Christ  empty 
handed.  He  had  great  possessions,  and  much  as  he 
wanted  eternal  life  he  was  not  prepared  to  pay  the 
price  demanded.  Even  the  disciples  were  astonished 
when  Jesus  said  that  it  was  easier  for  a  camel  to  go 
through  the  eye  of  a  needle  than  for  a  rich  man  to 
enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God.  The  astonishment  re- 
veals the  low  estimate  into  which  the  soul  had  fallen. 
It  has  been  said  that  the  ministry  of  Christ  was  a  con- 
stant ''proclamation  of  the  doctrine  of  the  soul,''  its 
reality,  its  dignity,  its  responsibility,  its  immortality.  It 
underHes  all  His  teachings.  The  soul  alone,  in  His 
view,  had  essential  and  eternal  worth ;  compared  with 
it,  the  whole  material  universe  was  but  a  brilliant  and 
brittle  soap  bubble.  And  that  message  is  needed  now. 
But  Jesus  had  a  second  thing  to  say  about  the  soul. 
He  said  that  the  soul  of  man  was  sick,  sick  unto 
death ;  that  it  was  lost,  and  hotly  pursued  by  beasts  of 
prey ;  that  it  was  self-exiled  from  the  Father's  house, 
living  among  swine,  clothed  in  rags,  eating  husks.  It 
was  a  sad  picture.  He  said  this  of  all  men.  He  made 
no   exceptions.      Was   the   picture   overdrawn?      Did 

329 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

Jesus  knew  what  He  was  talking  about?  Is  the  sor.l 
of  man  bHnd?  Is  it  smitten  with  fatal  leprosy?  So 
He  said,  but  men  did  not  believe  Him ;  and  they  do  not 
believe  Him  now.  But  Jesus  spake  true.  It  is  true 
of  you,  and  it  is  true  of  me.  None  doeth  good ;  no, 
not  one.  There  is  no  difference.  All  are  under  sin. 
Every  mouth  is  stopped ;  and  the  whole  world  is  guilty 
before  God.  So  Jesus  declared.  So  Paul  taught  It  is 
the  orthodox  thing  to  say ;  but  there  are  pulpits  where 
this  is  treated  as  an  exaggeration.  At  heart,  every- 
body is  declared  to  be  good.  Sin  is  represented  as  a 
misfortune,  a  temporary  barnacle,  an  unfortunate  acci- 
dent. We  need  not  worry  ourselves  about  it ;  it  will 
drop  out  in  time.  If  we  believe  what  Jesus  said,  we  can- 
not lull  ourselves  to  sleep  in  this  fancied  security.  We 
are  among  the  breakers ;  we  are  on  the  brink  of  Ni- 
agara :  we  are  in  the  very  heart  of  the  sucking  whirl- 
pool. We  are  in  danger  of  eternal  death.  The  poison 
is  in  the  very  fountains.  And  when  men  and  women 
deal  with  themselves  in  fierce  and  fearless  earnestness 
they  soon  discover  that  Jesus  is  right.  We  are  lost ; 
we  are  blind ;  we  are  sick  unto  death  ;  we  are  guilty 
and  condemned  before  God.  Then  comes  the  fierce 
struggle,  as  it  did  with  Paul ;  and  it  ends  in  despair. 
We  are  beyond  human  help. 

But  that  is  not  the  end.  Jesus  had  a  third  thing  to 
say  about  the  soul  of  man.  God  loves  it.  It  bears  His 
image.  He  cannot  tear  us  out  of  His  heart.  He  can- 
not abandon  us.  He  sends  His  own  Son  to  seek  and 
to  save  us.  Into  the  world's  hospital  of  death  He 
comes,  this  Great  Physician,  and  His  touch  restores 
to  life.     There  are  no  hopeless  cases,  if  they  will  only 

330 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

call  upon  Him  and  upon  Him  alone.  Nicodemus  was 
amazed  when  Jesus  told  him  that  every  soul  must  be 
born  from  above.  Moral  improvement  will  not  an- 
swer. The  ax  must  be  laid  at  the  root  of  the  tree. 
The  soul  is  morally  dead,  and  resurrection  alone  can 
avail  for  moral  rescue.  But  this  grace,  which  bringeth 
salvation  to  every  man,  has  appeared.  It  is  free  to  all 
who  repent  and  believe.  From  it  none  are  excluded, 
though  it  is  not,  and  cannot  be,  forced  upon  any  soul 
without  its  free  and  full  consent.  The  acceptable  year 
of  the  Lord  has  come.  Liberty  is  proclaimed  to  the 
captives.  There  is  bread  enough  and  to  spare  in  the 
Father's  house ;  and  the  doors  are  wide  open  to  every 
prodigal  who  comes  to  himself.  Oh,  for  the  grace 
that  will  make  men  see!  Oh,  for  the  grace  that  will 
make  men  hear!  Oh,  for  the  grace  that  will  make 
men  say,  *T  will  arise  and  go  to  My  Father!"  Oh,  for 
the  broken  heart  and  the  swift  feet  to  the  Ark  of 
Mercy !  Oh,  for  the  simple  faith  which  grasps  Christ 
in  the  freeness  and  the  fulness  of  His  redeeming 
mercy  and  might !  Come ;  and  come  now  !  And  then, 
never  leave  Him  for  a  moment ! 


What  Jesus  Had  to  Say  About  the  Devil. 

[January  15,  1899.] 

Whether  there  are  any  moral  intelligences  in  the 
universe  of  God  superior,  equal  or  inferior  to  man, 
and  what  their  numbers  or  missions  are,  is  a  question 
either  of  pure  speculation  or  of  pure  revelation.  Spec- 
ulation speaks  without  authority  upon  such  a  theme. 

331 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

Science,  certainly,  provides  us  with  no  means  of  dis- 
covery, and  its  oracles  are  dumb.  Some  have  argued, 
from  the  comparative  insignificance  of  our  planet,  and 
from  the  vastness  of  the  material  universe,  that  it  is 
absurd  to  suppose  that  the  earth  alone  is  habitable  and 
inhabited.  But  there  is  no  logic  in  the  argument  from 
bulk.  It  has  been  said  in  reply  that  what  we  know  of 
the  constitution  of  suns  and  stars  makes  it  absolutely 
certain  that  their  vegetation,  their  animal  and  rational 
tenantry  must  be  very  different  from  our  own  and 
from  ourselves.  The  time  may  come  when  a  journey 
from  the  Matterhorn  to  the  moon  will  be  more  than 
a  clever  rhetorical  suggestion,  but  it  is  certain  that  if 
such  a  trip  is  ever  undertaken  we  shall  have  to  take 
plenty  of  air  with  us  and  provide  ourselves  with  fire- 
proof bodies  inside  and  out.  There  may  be  magnifi- 
cent hotels  and  restaurants  in  the  sun,  but  we  could 
neither  sleep  in  the  one  nor  eat  in  the  other. 

Revelation  does  answer  the  question,  and  answers 
it  affirmatively.  There  is  a  doctrine  of  angels  in  the 
Bible;  frequently  set  forth  in  the  Old  Testament, 
wrought  into  its  historical  narratives,  its  prophetic 
writings  and  its  devotional  literature.  That  doctrine 
does  not,  perhaps,  figure  so  prominently  in  the  New- 
Testament,  and  it  is  not  elaborated ;  but  the  Gospels 
and  the  Epistles  weave  it  into  story,  interpretation  and 
prophecy.  Angels  celebrate  the  birth  of  Jesus  Christ ; 
angels  minister  to  Him  in  the  desert;  angels 
strengthen  Him  in  the  garden  of  agony,  and  guard 
His  empty  sepulcher ;  angels  attend  Him  at  His  final 
advent.  There  are  hosts  of  them  and  they  are  ranked  in 
hierarchies,  awaiting  the  word  of  command.    Whether 

332 


THE    CHRIST    OP    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

these  angels  are  superior  or  inferior  to  the  redeemed  is 
not  so  clearly  stated.  They  are  spoken  of  as  minister- 
ing spirits,  whose  mission  it  is  to  watch  over  the  heirs 
of  salvation.  They  are  the  guardians  of  little  chil- 
dren. They  are  servants  in  the  household,  of  which 
the  grace  of  Christ  makes  us  kings  and  priests.  They 
are  filled  with  an  incessant,  eager,  holy  curiosity  to 
look  into  and  understand  the  mystery  of  human  re- 
demption. They  break  out  into  joy  over  every  repent- 
ing sinner.  And  among  these  angelic  hosts  there  is 
one  who  by  pre-eminence  is  called  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment the  Angel  of  Jehovah,  appearing  to  Abraham, 
and  to  Moses,  and  to  Joshua,  whom  most  interpreters 
identify  with  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  as  the  Eternal  Son 
of  God,  appearing  in  a  temporary  and  vanishing  an- 
geHc  form. 

The  Biblical  doctrine  of  angels  divides  them  into 
good  angels  and  evil  angels.  There  are  lying  spirits 
who  enter  into  men  to  deceive  and  torment  them.  No 
information  is  given  as  to  their  numbers.  The  impli- 
cation is  that  they  are  an  insignificant  company  com- 
pared to  those  who  have  maintained  their  loyalty. 
Among  them  appears  one  who  is  called  the  devil, 
Satan,  the  dragon,  the  great  and  bitter  adversary  of 
God.  He  appears  upon  the  scene  in  the  Garden  of 
Eden,  and  the  bottomless  pit  closes  upon  him.  For 
whether  the  story  of  man's  fall  be  regarded  as  his- 
torical or  pictorial,  it  is  perfectly  clear  that  the  en- 
trance of  sin  is  described  as  due  to  a  superhuman  or 
extra-human  evil  agency.  It  was  the  devil  who 
tempted  Adam  and  Eve,  whether  he  assumed  the  form 
of  a  snake  or  not,  whether  the  first  sin  was  the  eating 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

of  an  apple  or  not.  And  this  doctrine  of  a  personal 
devil  runs  tliroiigh  the  entire  Biblical  literature,  and 
is  everywhere  assumed  as  a  stern  and  awful  fact. 

Many  have  treated  this  doctrine  of  a  personal  devil 
with  scant  courtesy.  They  have  made  it  the  butt  of 
cheap  ridicule.  They  have  been  content  to  laugh  at  it. 
When  in  more  serious  mood  they  have  declared  that 
the  devil  is  a  personification  of  evil  influences,  not  a 
conscious  personal  being.  He  is  the  creation  of  sacred 
rhetoric.  Now,  it  is  not  a  matter,  perhaps,  of  very  great 
practical  importance  what  our  ideas  upon  this  subject 
may  be.  It  certainly  is  not  necessary  for  a  man  who 
wants  to  be  saved  to  believe  in  a  personal  devil.  All 
he  needs  to  do  is  to  believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
and  have  as  little  to  do  with  the  devil  as  possible.  It  is 
infinitely  better  to  doubt  and  to  deny  his  existence 
than  it  is  to  cultivate  his  acquaintance  for  the  sake  of 
knowing  something  about  him.  But  when  it  comes  to 
maintaining  the  serious  integrity  of  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures and  the  final  authority  of  their  plain  teaching, 
the  matter  cannot  be  so  lightly  treated.  It  has  a  very 
important  bearing  upon  what  the  older  divines  call  the 
"perspicuity  of  the  Scriptures,"  their  adaptability  and 
crystalline  clearness  for  the  unlearned  and  uncritical 
reader.  The  Bible  is  not  a  book  for  scholars ;  it  is  the 
Ijook  for  the  common  people ;  and  its  plain  surface 
meaning  must  be  held  to  be  decisive.  The  poetry  itself 
must  be  perfectly  transparent.  The  picture  must  pro- 
claim itself  to  be  a  picture.  And  judged  by  this  rule, 
the  doctrine  of  a  personal  devil  must  stand.  It  refuses 
to  vanish  into  an  airy,  poetic  fancy,  the  precipitate  of 
popular  superstition.     It  is  even  more  serious  to  deny 

334 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

the  personal  existence  of  evil  spirits,  and  of  the  devil 
as  their  head,  in  view  of  Christ's  attitude  to  this  doc- 
trine. He  certainly  believed  that  there  was  a  devil. 
The  force  of  this  fact  can  be  evaded  only  in  one  of 
two  ways.  We  must  either  say  that  He  knew  better, 
or  we  must  say  that  He  did  not  know  better.  To  say 
that  He  knew  better,  but  accommodated  Himself  to 
the  superstitious  level  of  His  hearers,  is  to  charge  Him 
with  deliberate  dishonesty  and  deception.  Some  have 
preferred  to  say  that  Jesus  did  not  know  any  better, 
and  that  His  beliefs  were  shaped  by  His  educational 
environment.  But  this  reduces  Him  to  purely  human 
proportions  and  denies  to  Him  even  that  spiritual  in- 
sight which  the  incarnation  must  be  presumed  to  have 
given  to  Him.  And  if  the  Man  Christ  Jesus  was  also 
the  Eternal  Son  of  God,  what  He  had  to  say  about  the 
devil  must  remain  unchallenged  and  authoritative  for 
every  believer. 

Here  comes  in  the  importance  of  the  story  of  our 
Lord's  Temptation.  This  record,  like  the  record  of 
the  Fall  in  Genesis,  has  been  regarded  as  pictorial, 
mythical  or  legendary.  But  in  any  interpretation  of  it, 
it  is  clear  that  an  outward  personal  agency  of  evil  was 
brought  to  bear  upon  Him.  The  Spirit  drove  Him  into 
the  wilderness  to  be  tempted  of  the  devil.  He  was 
not  battling  with  His  own  thoughts,  though  the  sphere 
of  conflict  may  have  been  wholly  spiritual,  without 
any  visible  bodily  presence  and  without  flight  through 
the  air  to  pinnacle  of  temple  and  mountain  top. 
There  was  thrust  and  parry.  Two  swords  crossed  and 
one  was  broken  at  the  hilt.  It  was  a  dialogue,  not  a 
monologue.    One  might  as  well  deny  the  real  existence 

335 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

of  Jesus  Christ  as  to  deny  that  there  is  a  personal  devil, 
if  the  story  of  the  Temptation  has  any  meaning. 

It  must  be  noted,  also,  that  Jesus  always  speaks  of 
Satan  as  the  great  adversary  with  whom  He  is  locked 
in  a  grapple  unto  death.  It  was  Satan  whom  He  saw 
fall,  as  lightning  from  heaven,  suddenly  and  forever 
overthrown  by  Himself.  It  is  the  devil  who  takes 
away  the  word  which  is  sown.  It  is  the  devil  who 
sows  the  tares.  He  is  the  prince  of  this  world.  The 
hour  of  his  arrest  Jesus  speaks  of  as  not  only  the  hour 
of  wicked  men,  but  of  the  power  of  darkness.  Invisi- 
ble agencies  of  evil  reinforced  the  hatred  of  men  and 
the  treachery  of  Judas.  It  was  Satan  who  was  sifting 
Peter  while  Christ  repelled  the  adversary  by  His  inter- 
cession. In  the  miracles  of  healing  performed  by 
Christ,  some  were  treated  as  the  victims  of  demoniacal 
possession.  Devils  had  entered  into  them,  and  He 
drove  them  out.  And  in  His  descriptions  of  the  final 
judgment  He  speaks  of  the  everlasting  fire  "prepared 
for  the  devil  and  his  angels."  The  evidence  is  ample 
and  unanswerable ;  Jesus  recognized  and  affirmed  the 
existence  of  evil  spirits,  and  of  the  devil  as  a  personal 
being. 

Who  is  he?  Not  very  much  can  be  said  in  reply  to 
that  question.  His  relation  to  the  entrance  of  sin  into 
human  life  and  history  implies  that  he  was  already  ex- 
istent when  man  was  created.  But  he  has  no  inde- 
pendent, eternal  existence.  God  made  the  devil,  but 
He  did  not  make  him  devil.  He  kept  not  his  first  es- 
tate, in  which  apostasy  he  was  joined  by  other  angels, 
who,  with  him,  are  reserved  for  the  judgment  of  eter- 
nal darkness.     He  is  mighty,  but  he  is  not  almighty, 

336 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

and  he  trembles  when  he  sees  the  weakest  saint  upon 
his  knees.  His  fiery  darts  are  quenched,  his  stoutest 
spears  are  broken,  when  they  strike  the  shield  of  faith. 
He  has  great  knowledge,  but  he  is  not  omniscient.  He 
is  shrewd,  but  he  is  a  fool.  He  is  not  wise.  He  is 
blind.  He  is  caught  in  the  nets  which  he  weaves  and 
spreads  for  others.  His  rage  is  terrible,  but  he  com- 
passes his  own  destruction.  He  has  the  speed  of  light- 
ning, but  he  is  not  omnipresent.  He  has  a  large  re- 
tinue, many  evil  spirits  obedient  to  his  bidding,  but 
he  is  vastly  outnumbered  by  the  angelic  hosts  who 
muster  at  the  call  of  the  Son  of  God.  One  terrible 
word  tells  the  whole  story  of  what  he  is.  He  is  a  liar. 
He  is  the  father  of  lies.  He  was  a  liar  from  the  begin- 
ning. The  truth  is  not  in  him.  He  lies  to  God.  He 
lies  to  himself.  He  lies  to  those  who  listen  to  him. 
Hypocrites  are  his  spiritual  offspring.  That  makes 
him  weak.  That  hurries  him  to  defeat  and  destruc- 
tion. Crowding  others  into  eternal  ruin,  he  falls  into 
the  bottomless  pit  himself. 

Falsehood  is  the  unpardonable  sin.  But  he  who 
confesses  his  sins  and  repents  of  them  with  a  godly 
sorrow,  believing  with  all  the  heart  on  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  shall  be  eternally  saved! 


What  Jesus  Had  to  Say  About  His  Own  Death 
AND  Resurrection. 

[January  22,  1899.] 
Some  have  been  disposed,  following  the  principles 
of   natural    evolution,    to   regard    the   death    of   Jesus 
Christ  as  something  for  wliich  He  was  not  at  first  pre- 

337 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

pared,  the  possibility  of  which  came  to  Him  as  a  pain- 
ful surprise,  and  to  which  He  finally  submitted  in  sul- 
len and  reckless  defiance,  certain  that  His  martyrdom 
would  prove  to  be  His  coronation.  And  if  we  regard 
Jesus  as  only  a  man,  though  the  wisest  and  best  of 
men,  there  is  no  other  possible  interpretation  as  to  how 
His  mind  must  have  come  to  regard  the  death  of 
shame  inevitable.  Men  do  not  undertake  great  re- 
forms under  the  conviction  of  certain  death.  Their 
enthusiasm  makes  them  oblivious  of  danger.  They 
feel  sure  that  men  will  listen  to  their  appeals.  When 
they  are  repudiated  and  persecuted  for  righteousness 
sake  they  are  amazed  and  keenly  disappointed.  And 
only  when  they  have  been  crowded  to  the  wall  do  they 
fight  without  regard  to  personal  consequences.  So 
some  have  read  and  written  the  life  of  Jesus  Christ. 
But  in  doing  it  they  have  been  compelled  to  throw  the 
historical  materials  into  hopeless  confusion.  No  life 
of  Christ  can  be  written  without  free  use  of  the  gos- 
pels. And  if  Christ  began  His  ministry  as  a  young  and 
ardent  enthusiast,  encouraged  at  first  by  His  great 
popularity,  encountering  to  His  surprise  the  fierce  op- 
position of  the  religious  leaders,  provoking  their  en- 
mity by  His  untamed  and  unbridled  zeal,  until  he 
defied  them  to  do  their  worst,  accepting  His  defeat 
with  stern  and  bitter  composure,  charging  His  dis- 
ciples to  vindicate  Him  before  the  world,  the  gospels 
are  wholly  unreliable.  They  are  not  written  on  any 
such  plan.  Such  a  sketch  cannot  be  drawn  from  them 
without  wholesale  mutilation.  They  say  the  very  re- 
verse of  all  this.  And  so  it  comes  to  this,  that  a  re- 
fusal  to   recognize   Christ   as   more    and   other    than 

338 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

human  not  only  discredits  what  He  frequently  and  de- 
liberately said  of  Himself,  hut  robs  the  gospels  of  their 
historical  value.  The  process  which  eliminates  the 
Eternal  Son  of  God  from  their  pages  eliminates  also 
the  Son  of  Mary. 

Assuming,  then,  as  we  must,  that  Jesus  has  been 
accurately  reported  and  pictured,  we  must  maintain 
that  death  did  not  come  to  Him  as  a  bitter  surprise. 
This  appears  in  all  His  utterances  and  prayers.  In  the 
conversion  of  Nicodemus,  when  the  opposition  had  not 
yet  developed,  the  cross  appeared  in  full  view  to  His 
mind.  He  must  be  lifted  up,  as  Moses  lifted  up  tlie 
serpent  in  the  wilderness.  Only  when  lifted  up  could 
He  draw  all  men  unto  Him.  To  secure  the  fruit  of 
His  ministry,  He  must  die  as  a  grain  of  wheat  dies. 
When  Moses  and  Elias  hold  converse  with  Him,  the 
theme  is  not  His  miracles,  not  His  doctrine,  but  the 
impending  death  at  Jerusalem.  That  death  was  not 
only  the  hour  of  human  rage  and  of  Satanic  fury,  but 
the  hour  for  which  He  had  come  into  the  world ;  an 
hour  from  which  He  shrank  in  His  human  weakness, 
but  toward  which  His  feet  rushed  with  eager  swift- 
ness. It  was  a  cup  of  gall,  which  He  prayed  might  be 
withheld  if  it  were  possible,  but  which  He  was  eager 
to  drink  in  obedience  to  the  Father's  will.  It  is  an  old 
tradition  that  in  Joseph's  workshop  the  boy  Jesus 
amused  Himself  by  sawing  wood  into  the  shape  of 
crosses.  His  very  play  mastered  by  the  unsuspected 
final  tragedy  of  His  life.  Thus  Overbeck  pictures 
Him  in  art,  and  elsewhere  the  young  lad  appears  in 
such  a  posture,  that  Joseph  and  Mary,  mute  in  painful 
astonishment,  see  His  shadow  on  the  wall  of  the  work- 

339 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

shop  in  the  form  of  a  cross.  Thus  art  has  caught  the 
thought  that  to  die  was  the  one  great  thing  which 
Jesus  came  to  do.  It  was  not  an  incident  in  His  mis- 
sion ;  it  was  the  very  heart  of  it.  It  was  not  a  surprise 
to  Him ;  it  was  the  baptism  for  which  He  girded  Him- 
self at  the  very  beginning.  Some  have  discovered  in 
His  answer  to  His  mother,  when  she  found  Him  with 
the  doctors  in  the  Temple,  an  indication  that  already 
at  that  time  His  young  mind  anticipated  the  death  pre- 
pared for  Him;  an  anticipation  which  the  temptation 
in  the  wilderness  brought  into  sharp  outline.  How- 
ever that  may  be,  it  is  certain  that  with  this  anticipa- 
tion He  began  His  ministry,  and  continued  it  to  the 
very  end.  His  popularity  never  for  a  moment  de- 
ceived Him ;  He  knew  that  the  cheers  would  give  way 
to  the  curses,  and  the  palms  to  the  scourgings.  And 
when  Peter  attempted  to  dissuade  Him  from  meekly 
submitting  to  such  treatment,  He  treated  the  protest  as 
a  Satanic  suggestion,  bidding  him  afterward  to  put  up 
the  sword  which  he  had  drawn  in  His  defense.  Jesus, 
then,  spoke  of  His  death  as  the  great  act  of  His  life 
on  earth,  making  it  through  the  institution  of  the  holy 
supper,  the  outstanding  fact  of  His  earthly  mission. 

Such  being  the  case,  it  must  be  presumed  that  He 
understood  what  made  His  death  necessary,  and  what 
results  are  secured  by  it.  Upon  these  two  points  He 
has  spoken  with  clearness.  He  proved  from  Moses 
and  the  prophets  that  He  ought  thus  to  have  suffered. 
His  death  was  the  fulfillment  of  ancient  prophecy,  and 
prophecy  is  the  disclosure  of  the  eternal  purpose  of 
God,  the  articulate  expression  of  His  infinite  wisdom 
and  goodness.     Prophecy  deals  pre-eminently  with  re- 

340 


THE    CHRIST    OP    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

demption,  and  so  Jesus,  by  making  His  death  morally 
inevitable  in  the  divine  forecast,  makes  it  fundamen- 
tally necessary  to  our  salvation.  Not  less  clearly  and 
more  frequently  did  Jesus  speak  of  what  His  death 
would  secure  for  us.  He  speaks  of  Himself  as  the 
Good  Shepherd,  who  gives  His  life  for  the  defense  of 
the  flock.  He  declares  that  He  came  to  give  His  life 
a  ransom  for  many,  to  secure  their  release  from  the 
captivity  of  Satan  and  from  the  bondage  of  sin.  And 
He  touches  the  matter  more  closely  still  when  He 
speaks  of  His  body  as  broken  for  us  and  His  blood  as 
shed  for  the  remission  of  sins ;  thus  making  His  death 
an  atoning  sacrifice  and  the  cross  the  altar  of  the 
world's  redemption.  Once  more  He  connects  His  de- 
parture from  the  earth  with  the  coming  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  without  whom  men  cannot  be  regenerated, 
sanctified  and  glorified.  Jesus  must  die,  that  the  Holy 
Spirit  may  secure  the  needed  leverage  for  saving  men. 
In  all  this  there  is  no  metaphysics,  elaborating  a  specu- 
lative theory  of  the  atonement,  but  in  these  sayings 
Jesus  gives  us  four  things  of  great  importance :  He 
died  to  secure  our  forgiveness ;  He  died  to  release  us 
from  bondage  to  sin ;  He  died  to  protect  us  from  our 
foes ;  He  died  to  secure  for  us  the  grace  of  the  Holy 
Spirit. 

Never,  however,  did  Jesus  separate  the  fact  of  His 
resurrection  from  the  fact  of  His  death.  He  showed, 
from  Moses  and  the  prophets,  that  Christ  ought  thus 
to  suffer,  that  He  might  enter  into  His  glory,  and  His 
glory  was  the  seeking  and  the  saving  of  the  lost.  As 
Jonah  was  delivered  from  death,  so  would  He  be  de- 
livered.    He  would  rise  on  the  third  day.     His  vision 

341 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

was  not  bound  by  cross  and  scpnlcber.  Beyond  them 
lay  the  Easter  glory,  and  its  radiance  made  luminous 
the  thorny  path  of  suffering  and  of  shame.  His  death 
rang  down  the  curtain  upon  the  world's  despair.  His 
resurrection  brought  life  and  immortality  to  light. 
And  so,  for  us,  there  is  no  defilement  of  sin  which 
Christ  cannot  take  away,  there  is  no  temptation  over 
which  He  cannot  give  us  the  victory,  there  is  no  suf- 
fering which  He  cannot  change  into  a  song,  and  the 
dart  of  death  has  lost  its  poisonous  sting  because  Jesus 
died  and  rose  again !  It  has  been  tlie  frequent  attempt 
of  speculative  theology  to  indicate  the  specific  results 
secured  by  the  incarnation,  by  the  holy  obedience,  by 
the  teaching,  by  the  sufferings  and  death,  and  by  the 
resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ.  But  the  earthly  priest- 
hood of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  covers  all  these.  They 
constitute,  together,  the  seamless  garment  of  our  eter- 
nal salvation.  The  several  strands  are  so  closely  and 
firmly  woven  together  that  they  are  inseparable.  And 
this  earthly  priesthood,  in  life,  and  death,  and  resur- 
rection, is  carried  forward  in  the  heavenly  interces- 
sion and  dominion.  From  His  mediatorial  throne  in 
the  heavens,  and  through  the  agency  of  His  Spirit,  the 
Third  Person  in  the  adorable  Trinity,  or  Triune  God, 
He  makes  effective  in  penitent  believers  the  great  re- 
deeming act  which  began  with  the  birth  at  Bethlehem 
and  that  ended  with  the  ascension  on  Olivet ! 


342 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

What  Jesus  Had  to  Say  About  His  Authority  as 
King. 

[January  29,  1899.] 

Etymologically,  the  word  "king"  means  a  man  of 
noble  birth.  The  fundamental  idea  is  that  of  superior- 
ity or  pre-eminence.  The  king  is  the  superior  man  in 
birth  and  blood,  in  stature  and  physical  energy,  in 
military  genius  and  political  sagacity.  The  old  kings 
were  giants,  who  ruled  by  force,  as  are  still  the  chiefs 
of  savage  tribes,  and  who  founded  their  states  by  con- 
quest. With  the  advance  of  civilization,  making  mas- 
tery more  and  more  a  matter  of  intellectual  superiority 
and  alertness  of  wall,  stature  and  physical  energy  have 
retreated  into  the  background,  and  some  of  the  most 
powerful  rulers  have  been  men  of  mean  and  insignifi- 
cant bodily  appearance.  Now  and  then,  though  not 
often,  high  moral  character  has  been  united  with  great 
intellectual  and  executive  qualities  of  leadership,  and 
where  this  has  been  the  case  history  has  starred  their 
names,  even  though  they  never  wore  a  crown.  Such 
men  were  David  and  Marcus  Aurelius  and  Charle- 
magne and  George  Washington  and  Abraham  Lin- 
coln, who,  crowned  or  uncrowned,  made  illustrious  the 
place  which  they  filled. 

Men  love  leadership.  They  hate  a  boss,  but  they 
love  a  master.  Be  the  form  of  government  what  it 
may,  despotic,  aristocratic  or  democratic,  leadership  is 
indispensable.  The  sifting  process  brings  the  captains 
to  the  front.  And  when  the  right  man  appears,  in 
whom  firmness  and  gentleness,  energy  and  wisdom, 
independence  and  unselfishness,  are  united,  the  people 

343 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

are  eager  to  rally  to  his  support,  and  to  invest  him 
with  the  largest  powers.  They  will  follow  the  man 
whom  they  can  trust  and  who  sees  his  way  clear  to  the 
very  goal.  Leadership  appeals  to  loyalty  and  se- 
cures it. 

Jesus  Christ  is  the  greatest  of  all  leaders.  He  is 
the  King  of  Kings  and  the  Lord  of  Lords.  The  gov- 
ernment is  upon  His  shoulders.  Upon  His  head  are 
many  crowns.  He  bids  us  call  no  man  "master,"  but  He 
makes  an  exception  of  Himself.  His  authority  en- 
dures. His  words  abide.  L^pon  all  He  lays  His  sov- 
ereign command  and  bids  them  follow  Him.  The 
claim  is  amazing  and  audacious,  but  it  has  won  an 
ever  increasing  and  enthusiastic  response.  Into  pov- 
erty and  exile,  into  dungeons  and  furnaces  of  fire,  men 
and  women  have  marched  with  eager  steps  and  radi- 
,ant  faces,  because  Jesus  led  the  way.  And,  for  one,  I 
believe  that  the  fiber  of  martyrdom  is  as  firm  in  the 
church  to-day  as  it  was  when  Peter  was  crucified  and 
Paul  beheaded. 

Jesus  is  King.  He  is  the  ideal  King.  He  is  King 
by  appointment  of  the  Father ;  He  is  King  by  essential 
and  eternal  dignity;  he  is  King  by  the  majesty  and 
might  of  conquest;  He  is  King  by  universal  acclama- 
tion. 

Jesus  Christ  is  King  by  the  appointment  of  the 
Father.  The  Old  Testament  doctrine  of  kingship  is 
that  it  is  one  of  the  reserved  gifts  of  God.  Saul  comes 
to  it  by  divine  election  and  prophetic  anointing.  Saul 
proves  unworthy  of  the  trust  and  David  is  summoned 
by  divine  authority.  Tn  him,  too.  the  royal  office  be- 
comes hereditary  by  the  special  appointment  of  God. 

344 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

Kingship  is  not  a  natural  right,  but  a  divine  vocation. 
Entering  into  this  Old  Testament  doctrine  of  king- 
ship, Jesus  constantly  speaks  of  His  royal  authority, 
in  whatever  way  exercised — in  issuing  commands,  or 
dispensing  pardon,  or  healing  the  sick,  or  feeding  the 
hungry,  or  raising  the  dead,  or  judging  the  nations — 
as  a  delegated  authority.  He  held  it  by  a  divine  com- 
mission. He  speaks  only  as  the  Father  bids  Him, 
and  of  some  things  He  confessed  His  ignorance.  He 
does  only  what  the  Father  commands  Him  to  do. 
Obedience  to  the  Father's  will  is  His  meat  and  drink. 
His  sole  endeavor  is  to  finish  the  work  which  the 
Father  had  given  Him  to  do.  His  right  of  final  judg- 
ment is  a  delegated  right.  Even  after  the  ascension, 
when  He  affirms  His  universal  lordship,  He  speaks  of 
it  as  the  power  or  authority  which  had  been  given  to 
Him.  In  all  these  utterances  it  is  Jesus  Christ  in  the 
indivisible,  unique  totality  of  His  personaHty  who 
speaks.  He  speaks  as  the  incarnate  Son  of  God,  as 
God  manifest  in  the  flesh,  as  the  visible  representative 
and  embodiment  of  God  on  earth.  As  such  He  occu- 
pied a  subordinate  place  and  discharged  a  definite  tem- 
poral mission,  just  as  we  do.  As  born  in  time  and 
growing  up  to  man's  estate,  dying  for  our  sins,  and 
rising  again  for  our  justification,  He  maintained  a 
position  of  relative  inferiority  to  the  Father,  and  this 
relative  inferiority  He  freely  recognized  by  tracing 
His  kingly  authority  to  the  appointment  of  His 
Father. 

But  Jesus  declares  Himself  king  also  by  essential 
and  eternal  dignity ;  so  that  the  apparent  economic 
inferiority  to  the  Father  vanishes  in  His  essential  and 

345 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

eternal  equality  with  the  Father.  The  visible  and 
temporal  kingship  is  grounded  in  eternal  royalty.  It 
is  as  lawful  heir  that  He  receives  His  appointment. 
The  Father  gives  Him  what  is  His  by  inalienable  in- 
heritance. No  man,  He  declares,  knows  the  Father 
save  the  Son,  and  the  Son  knows  the  Father  because 
from  all  eternity  the  Son  shared  in  the  glory  of  the 
Father.  One  saying  condenses  it  all.  'T  and  the  Father 
are  one."  Here,  again,  it  is  Jesus  Christ  in  the  indi- 
visible, unique  totality  of  His  personality  who  speaks ; 
but  the  utterance  proceeds  from  the  eternal  depths  of 
His  conscious  life  upon  which  the  temporal  form  was 
fibered.  He  who  for  all  eternity  existed,  and  who 
never  ceased  to  exist,  in  the  form  of  God,  added  to 
that  the  form  of  man.  He  became  incarnate.  The  in- 
carnation made  Him  subordinate  in  authority  to  the 
Father,  but  as  He  did  not  in  becoming  incarnate  cease 
to  exist  in  the  form  of  God,  the  equality  with  the 
Father  was  not  surrendered  or  lost  in  the  voluntary 
subordination.  The  incarnation  is  the  luminous  con- 
scious center  where  subordination  and  equality  co- 
alesce. As  the  Eternal  Word  l)ecame  Man,  Jesus  was 
King  by  a  derived  authority,  by  appointment  of  the 
Father ;  but  as  the  Eternal  Word  He  was  King  by  in- 
herent and  eternal  right,  by  sharing  in  the  undivided 
and  invisible  essence  and  glory  of  the  Father.  We 
have  seen  that  in  what  Jesus  says  about  His  authority 
as  a  teacher,  the  divine  and  the  human  elements  of  His 
personality  blend.  We  have  seen  that  in  what  Jesus 
says  about  His  death  and  resurrection  the  same 
elements  blend.  And  now  we  see  that  in  what  Jesus 
says  about  His  authority  as  a  King  there  is  the  same 

34^ 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

mysterious  blending  of  conscious  Godhead  and  con- 
scious manhood.  The  strands  refuse  to  be  parted. 
The  crown  upon  His  human  brow,  the  scepter  in  His 
human  hands,  are  a  crown  and  a  scepter  which  the 
Father  gave  Him ;  but  they  are  the  crown  and  scepter 
which  from  everlasting  were  His  conscious  possession. 
Jesus  Christ  claims  royal  authority  by  right  of  con- 
quest. There  can  be  no  real  kingship  without  con- 
quest. It  need  not  be  the  conquest  of  the  sword, 
driving  and  terrorizing  unarmed  and  weak  men  into 
submission ;  but  it  must  be  the  conquest  of  recognized 
superiority.  Conquest  follows  upon  superiority,  as  the 
thunder  peal  follows  the  lightning  bolt.  Be  it  intel- 
lectual, or  industrial,  or  commercial,  or  artistic,  or  po- 
litical superiority — it  wins  its  way  and  conquers.  And 
Jesus  Christ  is  King  by  a  conquest  wider  and  more 
varied  than  that  won  by  any  other  historical  figure. 
He  is  King  in  the  realm  of  intellect,  at  whose  feet 
the  loftiest  and  the  lowliest  have  sat  with  equal  eager- 
ness and  joy.  There  was  a  time  when  literature 
sneered  at  Christ.  That  day  has  passed,  and  culture 
at  last  speaks  with  profound  respect  when  the  name  of 
Jesus  is  mentioned.  His  sayings  are  quoted  with  a 
reverence  granted  to  no  other  teacher,  and  they  have 
been  infinitely  more  fruitful  of  good  than  all  the  phi- 
losophy and  the  poetry  of  classic  antiquity.  He  is 
King  in  the  realm  of  moral  character.  From  whatever 
side  He  is  approached  He  appears  as  the  embodiment 
of  perfection.  There  is  no  one-sidedness  in  Him. 
There  is  in  Him  an  admirable  balance  of  contrasted 
virtues,  a  marvelous  blending  of  graces  and  gifts,  a 
most  wonderful  serenity  of  temper  and  poise  of  spirit. 

347 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

Upon  every  field  of  moral  conflict,  however  hot  the 
contest  and  fierce  the  onslaught  and  shrewd  the  strat- 
egy, He  appears,  when  the  smoke  has  cleared  away,  ab- 
solute master.  He  is  King  by  virtue  of  the  absolute 
unselfishness  of  His  devotion.  He  gave  His  Hfe  for 
sinners.  He  prayed  for  His  murderers.  He  laid  down 
the  principle  that  mastery  comes  by  service,  that  he 
who  would  be  greatest  should  live  among  men  as  the 
least,  and  Himself  was  the  noblest  illustration  of  what 
seems  a  paradox.  And  He  is  King  by  the  greatness  of 
His  achievements.  He  mustered  no  armed  hosts.  He 
fought  no  great  battles.  He  founded  no  empire.  And 
yet  He  was  the  greatest  of  captains  and  swept  single 
handed  the  mightiest  of  battlefields.  For  He  grappled 
with  sin  and  triumphed  by  the  holiness  of  His  life. 
He  grappled  with  death  and  triumphed  in  His  resur- 
rection. He  grappled  with  Satan  and  the  powers  of 
darkness  and  delivered  the  captives  from  their  fierce 
tormentors.  Of  them  all  He  made  an  end  forever  in 
His  flesh,  and  thereby  gave  life  and  liberty  to  a  world 
buried  in  darkness,  despair  and  death.  It  was  an  un- 
seen, unregistered  battle.  There  was  no  flare  of  trum- 
pets. There  was  no  waving  of  banners.  There  was 
no  flash  of  steel.  There  was  no  roar  of  cannon.  Not 
a  sound  smote  the  air.  But  when  the  dawn  of  that 
first  Easter  sent  its  reddening  glow  over  the  land  it 
heralded  a  victory  for  which  forty  centuries  had  been 
gathering  their  forces,  and  by  which  the  eternal  future 
had  been  rendered  gloriously  secure. 

The  year  of  jubilee  has  come ; 
Return,  ye  ransomed  sinners,  home! 

348 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

It  remains  only  to  be  said  that  Jesus  Christ,  who 
is  King  by  appointment  of  the  Father,  by  essential  and 
eternal  dignity,  and  by  the  majesty  and  might  of  moral 
conquest,  is  also  King  by  spontaneous  and  universal 
acclamation.  In  one  of  his  hymns  Isaac  Watts  speaks 
of  the  grace  which  saves  as  ''sweetly  forcing"  its  sub- 
jects. The  compulsion  is  the  compulsion  of  love.  It 
is  strong  and  steady,  and  yet  so  gentle  withal  as  to 
produce  no  conscious  irritation.  It  waits  until  it  can 
carry  the  will  with  it.  It  is  wonderful,  this  blending 
of  absolute  sovereignty  in  God  and  of  absolute 
freedom  in  man.  The  sovereignty  is  so  absolute  that 
God  is  said  to  create  the  new  heart  in  us ;  and 
the  freedom  is  so  absolute  that  God  summons  us  to 
make  our  own  hearts  new.  There  is  the  same  blend- 
ing of  apparent  contradictions  in  the  kingship  of  Jesus 
Christ.  No  despot  ever  wielded  such  power.  The 
will  of  Christ  is  the  only  law  of  His  empire.  He  im- 
poses it,  He  interprets  it.  He  administers  and  enforces 
it.  He  says  "Come,"  and  He  says  "Go,"  and  that  ends 
it.  It  is  the  incarnation  of  sheer  absolutism.  And  yet 
it  is  a  rulership  than  which  none  can  be  more  repre- 
sentative and  democratic.  Angels  and  devils,  saints 
and  sinners  bow  the  knee  to  Him.  They  crown  Him 
by  universal  consent  and  approval.  The  one  absolute 
will  provokes  not  so  much  as  a  whisper  of  protest  in 
any  quarter.  The  secret  is  a  simple  one.  That  abso- 
lute will  crystallizes  absolute  righteousness ;  and  abso- 
lute righteousness,  while  it  commands  with  absolute 
authority,  secures  the  free  approval  of  all  moral  be- 
ings. No  black  pebbles  are  cast  into  the  urn  when 
absolute   right  is   the   issue.     Then,   too,   He   who  is 

349 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

King  is  also  He  who  died  to  save  us  and  all.  We  are 
safe  in  His  hands.  The  world  is  safe  in  His  hands. 
The  pierced  palms  grasp  the  scepter  of  universal  do- 
minion, and  that  wakes  the  universal  and  unending 
song. 


What  Jesus  Had  to  Say  About  the  Kingdom  of 

God. 

[February  5,  1899.] 
It  is  customary  to  speak  of  two  advents,  the  first 
and  the  second  coming  of  our  Lord ;  His  first  advent 
in  the  flesh  for  our  salvation,  and  His  second  advent 
in  glory  for  judgment  of  the  quick  and  the  dead.  The 
period  between  these  two  advents  is  regarded  as  a 
period  of  preparation,  of  watching  and  waiting  for  the 
return  of  the  absent  King.  But  the  anxious  watchers 
are  to  be  industrious  workers ;  and  they  watch  to  best 
advantage  who  work  most  diligently.  We  are  to  wait, 
not  only  for  the  Lord,  but  upon  Him.  We  are  to  toil 
in  His  vineyard.  We  are  to  preach  His  gospel  to  every 
creature.  We  are  to  disciple  the  nations,  and  in  obey- 
ing that  command  we  have  the  assurance  of  His  per- 
sonal leadership.  His  withdrawal  from  the  world  was 
only  apparent.  He  departed  as  to  the  flesh ;  He  re- 
mained, and  ever  remains,  in  the  power  of  His  Spirit. 
The  day  of  Pentecost  was  as  real  an  advent  as  the  day 
of  His  birth,  and  as  the  hour  of  His  coming  to  judg- 
ment will  be.  So  that  we  should  speak  of  three  ad- 
vents:  the  advent  in  tlie  flesh  for  our  salvation,  the 
ndvcnt  in  (Ik-  S])iril  foi-  the  estal)lishnicnt  ni  the  kini^- 
dom  of  God  on  earth,  and  the  advent  in  glory   for 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

judgment  of  the  quick  and  the  dead.  And  the  daVvS 
in  which  we  are  living  are  the  days  of  the  second  ad- 
vent, whose  great  task  is  the  evangeHzation  of  the 
world,  the  conversion  of  the  nations. 

If  we  want  to  make  our  view  cover  the  entire  pe- 
riod of  human  history,  reaching  its  goal  in  the  king- 
dom of  God,  we  may  regard  the  pre-Christian  cen- 
turies as  a  preparation  for  the  kingdom,  the  incarna- 
tion as  the  inauguration  of  the  kingdom,  the  dispensa- 
tion of  the  Holy  Spirit  as  the  extension  and  the  con- 
solidation of  the  kingdom,  and  the  advent  in  glory  as 
its  graduation  into  eternal  security  and  blessedness. 
Fourfold  in  form,  it  is  one  and  indivisible  in  spirit  and 
life.  It  is  the  rule  of  God  in  the  hearts  of  men.  It  is 
the  sovereignty  of  Jesus  Christ  over  human  souls. 

What  is  the  nature  of  this  kingdom?  What  is  the 
principle,  what  is  the  power,  of  this  sovereignty? 
What  is  the  aim  of  the  rule  of  God  on  earth,  and  what 
is  the  power  by  whch  that  rule  is  made  effective? 
Jesus  Himself  has  answered  these  questions,  and 
never  more  clearly  than  when  He  least  seemed  to  be 
a  king.  Standing  at  the  bar  of  Pilate,  the  amazed  Ro- 
man judge  asked  Him:  *'Art  thou  a  king,  then?" 
Calmly  came  back  the  answer:  ''I  am.  That  is  the 
meaning  of  my  birth.  It  is  not  a  sudden  ambition 
which  has  seized  Me.  I  was  born  to  rule.  But  My 
kingdom  is  not  of  this  world.  It  does  not  mean  a 
])alace  and  a  throne  and  great  armies.  It  is  not 
with  Caesar  that  I  have  any  controversy.  I  came  to 
make  an  end  of  falsehood.  I  am  a  witness  unto 
the  truth ;  and  all  who  are  children  of  the  truth 
hear  Me  and  follow  Me."     So,  then,  the  kingdom  of 

35  T 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

God  is  the  reign  of  truth.  And  in  His  conversation 
with  Nicodemus  Jesus  pointed  out  the  agency  by 
which  the  truth  was  to  obtain  the  sovereignty.  The 
citizens  of  the  kingdom  are  they  who  are  born  from 
above,  born  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  This  completes  the 
answer.  The  kingdom  of  God  is  the  supremacy  of 
truth,  secured  by  the  Spirit  of  promise  and  power. 
The  Sermon  on  the  Mount  elaborates  that  answer  and 
the  parables  illustrate  it.  Whose  is  the  kingdom  of 
heaven?  It  belongs  to  the  poor  in  spirit,  to  such  as 
mourn,  to  the  meek,  to  all  who  hunger  and  thirst 
after  righteousness,  to  the  merciful,  to  the  pure 
in  heart,  to  the  peacemakers,  to  such  as  are  perse- 
cuted for  righteousness'  sake.  These  are  the  salt 
of  the  earth;  these  are  the  light  of  the  world.  He 
sums  it  all  up  in  the  saying  that  our  righteous- 
ness must  exceed  the  righteousness  of  the  Scribes 
and  Pharisees  if  we  would  enter  into  the  kingdom  of 
heaven ;  and  then  He  proceeds  to  outline  the  incisive- 
ness  and  the  spirituality  of  the  law  of  God.  We  are 
to  share  in  the  moral  perfection  of  God  Himself.  The 
kingdom  is  the  righteousness  of  the  Eternal,  and  which 
only  the  Eternal  can  impart.  The  parables  confirm 
and  illustrate  the  answer.  We  need  only  consider  two 
of  them,  the  parables  of  the  sower  and  of  the  prodigal 
son.  The  first  teaches  us  that  the  kingdom  of  God 
comes  by  the  sowing  of  the  truth  in  the  hearts  of  men, 
and  its  fruitage  in  their  lives.  The  second  teaches  us 
that  citizenship  in  the  kingdom  is  the  free  and  unde- 
served gift  of  God  to  those  who  have  squandered  their 
substance,  and  who  in  godly  penitence  make  appeal  to 
His  mercy.     The  answer  is  the  same;  the  kingdom  of 

352 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

God  is  the  sovereignty  of  truth  in  the  hearts  and  hves 
of  men,  secured  by  supernatural  divine  agency.  The 
whole  matter  is  admirably  summed  up  by  Paul  when 
he  tells  us  that  the  kingdom  of  God  is  ''righteousness, 
peace  and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost."  It  is  the  reign  of 
''righteousness,"  a  word  which  means  more  than 
justice,  which  is  the  equivalent  of  "salvation,"  weaving 
together  truth  and  mercy ;  so  that  purity  is  aflame  with 
the  passion  of  love,  and  love  is  intent  upon  absolute 
purity.  Such  a  reign  of  righteousness  produces  peace 
and  girdles  the  earth  with  joy.  And  that  is  not  the 
product  of  a  natural  evolution,  but  of  supernatural 
grace ;  it  is  the  work  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  The  king- 
dom of  God,  then,  is  the  sovereignty  of  the  righteous- 
ness, which  is  God's  free  gift  to  men  by  the  agency  of 
the  Holy  Spirit. 

This  makes  clear  a  second  thing,  the  method  of 
administration.  It  is  rational,  for  the  incorruptible 
seed  is  the  Word  of  God.  And  this  Word  of  God  is 
also  the  sword  of  the  Spirit.  It  is  the  truth  that  slays, 
demolishing  every  citadel  of  lies ;  and  it  is  the  truth 
that  saves.  Lies  plunge  men  into  darkness  and  crowd 
them  to  ruin ;  truth  is  candlestick  and  star  and  sun, 
lighting  up  our  steps  to  safety  and  glory.  Truth  is 
what  men  need  more  than  aught  else ;  definite  doc- 
trine ;  a  simple  but  rational  theology.  The  method  of 
the  Divine  Kingdom  is  spiritual.  It  lays  hold  upon 
that  in  human  nature  which  is  eternal,  which  has 
neither  beginning  nor  end,  which  speaks  with  infalli- 
ble and  universal  authority.  It  makes  its  appeal  to  the 
enlightened  conscience  and  makes  duty  the  greatest 
word  in  our  rational  speech.    And  because  the  method 

353 

12 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

of  the  kingdom  is  rational  and  spiritual,  it  is  intensely 
and  exclusively  personal.  There  are  no  twin  births 
in  the  kingdom  of  God.  Each  soul  has  its  solitary 
inauguration  and  discipline.  Repentance  is  personal. 
Faith  is  personal.  Obedience  is  personal.  Forgive- 
ness is  personal.  Regeneration  is  personal.  Sanctifi- 
cation  is  personal.  Every  man  does  his  own  sinning, 
and  the  guilt  of  his  sin  is  wholly  and  only  his.  Every 
man  must  do  his  own  repenting,  confessing,  believ- 
ing, obeying.  All  these  things  God  works  in  us.  He 
is  the  originating  cause  of  everything  else.  But  the 
things  which  God  w^orks  in  we  must  individually  work 
out.  We  can  stimulate  each  other  to  penitence  and 
faith  and  good  works ;  and  what  we  can  do  for  each 
other  God  is  to  do  much  more  abundantly.  But  amid 
all  this  exterior  and  interior  moral  pressure  there  is  a 
point  where  the  individual  will  stands  in  the  majesty 
of  solitary  personal  action.  I  speak  to  a  point,  not 
of  a  moment.  The  idea  of  time  is  of  no  great  signifi- 
cance. You  may  not  recall  the  day  or  the  hour  of  your 
repentance  and  surrender  to  Christ.  It  may  have  been 
identical  with  your  first  conscious  thought  and  your 
first  moral  decision,  neither  of  which  any  of  us  can 
now  locate.  But  when  you  did  make  your  first  moral 
choice  it  was  you  who  made  it.  And  if  it  was  the 
soul's  choice  of  Christ,  it  was  you  who  made  it,  though 
you  made  it  only  because  God  was  in  you,  urging  and 
constraining  you  to  it.  There  is  no  fatalism  in  this, 
because  fatalism  is  compulsion  from  without,  and 
without  any  regard  to  personal  choice.  In  the  king- 
dom of  God  we  have  to  do  with  spiritual  and  interior 
energies,  working  along  the  lines  of  persuasion  and  of 

354 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

personal  consent ;  and  whatever  results  in  voluntary 
personal  action  cannot  have  been  produced  by  compul- 
sion. The  will  of  God  does  not  tear  down  and  crush 
the  will  of  man ;  the  will  of  God,  which  is  always  for 
salvation,  broods  over  the  will  of  man  and  wakes  the 
dormant  or  dead  will  of  man  into  normal  life  and  ac- 
tion. And  when  the  will  of  man  wakes  it  sees  with 
its  own  eyes  and  acts  by  his  own  personal  energy.  I 
am  not  trying  to  harmonize  divine  sovereignty  and 
human  freedom.  That  has  never  been  done.  I  do  not 
believe  that  it  can  be  done.  I  believe  each  to  be  abso- 
lute in  its  own  sphere.  God  could  not  be  more  sover- 
eign if  man  were  not  free.  Man  could  not  be  more 
free  if  there  were  no  God.  What  I  have  in  mind  is 
simply  this,  that  the  moral  life  in  every  one  of  us  is  self- 
moved,  even  though  it  be  God-moved.  It  is  always  in- 
tensely and  exclusively  personal.  The  gate  into  the 
kingdom  is  straight.  It  is  just  wide  enough  for  all  of 
us  to  pass  through  in  single  file.  When  we  come  to 
this  gate,  as  when  we  come  to  the  gate  of  death,  hands 
must  unclasp.  In  the  sweet  but  awful  solitude  of  per- 
sonal penitence  and  faith  do  we  receive  our  pardon 
and  adoption. 

Commensurate  with  this  radical  method  of  admin- 
istration are  the  results  secured  by  the  kingdom  of 
God.  No  change  can  be  more  radical  than  one  which 
is  rational,  spiritual  and  personal.  Such  work  does 
not  need  to  be  done  over  again.  Once  begun,  the 
leaven,  lodged  at  the  very  center,  leavens  all  the  meal. 
The  radical  change  is  revolutionary.  It  creates  a  new 
man.  It  brings  all  things  into  subjection.  It  thrusts 
out  all  that  is  foreign  to  it.     It  assimilates  all  that  it 

355 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

appropriates.  Rational,  spiritual,  personal  regenera- 
tion is  the  method  of  the  kingdom  of  God.  That 
makes  the  soul  saintly.  And  a  saintly  soul  will 
make  a  saintly  body,  with  saintly  eyes,  and  ears, 
and  lips,  and  hands,  and  feet.  Saintly  souls  will 
create  a  saintly  literature,  a  saintly  art,  a  saintly  in- 
dustry, a  saintly  commerce,  a  saintly  politics.  And 
in  this  way,  by  the  energy  of  personal  sainthood,  the 
whole  world  will  become  saintly,  until  "holiness  to  the 
Lord"  is  engraved  on  the  bells  of  the  horses.  In  our 
time  this  sovereign  thought  of  the  kingdom  of  God  has 
been  seized  to  emphasize  the  fact  that  Christianity  is 
the  religion  of  social  regeneration,  and  some  urge  us  to 
substitute  external  appliances  and  helps  for  the  per- 
sonal agencies  thus  far  relied  upon.  The  cry  is  for 
"institutional"  churches  and  sociological  methods ;  less 
doctrine,  more  handshaking;  less  pulpit,  more  kinder- 
gartens and  kitchens.  But  this  is  not  only  to  reverse 
the  natural  order ;  it  is  seriously  to  misread  the  method 
of  moral  life.  That  is  first  of  all,  and  always  rational, 
spiritual,  personal.  It  has  its  initiative  within,  not 
without.  When  you  have  said  that  man  is  a  personal, 
moral  being,  you  have  said  it  all.  You  add  nothing 
when  you  say  that  man  is  also  social,  for  the  social  is 
simply  the  mutual  interaction  of  the  personal  centers, 
and  what  the  social  product  shall  be  depends  wholly 
upon  what  the  interacting  personal  centers  are.  Make 
them  all  good  and  your  society  will  be  good.  Make 
them  part  good  and  part  bad,  and  your  society  will  be 
a  state  of  moral  conflict.  Make  them  all  bad,  and  your 
society  will  be  utterly  corrupt.  Of  course  we  want  a 
good  environment,  but  to  secure  it  we  must  have  the 

356 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

good  deeply  lodged  in  the  personal  beings  who  consti- 
tute society  and  who  control  social  environment.  This 
was  the  method  of  Jesus ;  to  make  the  tree  good,  in 
the  certainty  that  the  fruit  would  be  good.  You  may 
tie  your  figs  to  bramble  bushes,  but  they  will  not  stay 
there  long.  We  cannot,  as  well  wishers  of  our  fellow 
men,  lay  it  too  seriously  to  heart  that  reformations  are 
real  and  permanent  only  by  the  regeneration  of  indi- 
viduals. The  broad,  deep  base  of  the  ideal  social 
structure  must  be  laid  in  profound  personal  conviction 
and  in  corresponding  intensely  personal  moral  action. 
When  righteousness  is  thus  firmly  lodged  by  the  grace 
of  God  in  the  very  center  of  personal  life,  its  expand- 
ing energy  will  sweep  over  a  thousand  radiating  lines 
into  and  through  the  entire  sphere  of  action.  This 
will  brush  away  all  laws  and  customs  which  hinder 
and  oppose  and  will  create  new  ones  to  take  their 
place.  Time  only  is  needed  to  change  the  face  of  the 
world ;  the  energy  is  in  each  soul  which  by  the  Holy 
Ghost  has  been  led  to  repentance  and  faith  in  Jesus 
Christ. 

For  the  King  is  the  Kingdom ;  and  Jesus  is  the 
King.  He  is  the  Light  of  the  world,  the  wisdom  and 
the  power  of  God  unto  salvation.  He  called  His  per- 
sonal disciples  by  name,  has  been  doing  it  ever  since, 
and  will  do  so  as  long  as  there  are  men  and  women  to 
be  discipled.  He  has  not  two  methods,  one  for  the 
individual  and  another  for  the  race.  He  has  but  one 
method,  the  individual  and  personal,  and  by  that  he 
subdues  the  world.  He  conquers  one  soul  at  a  time, 
and  so  conquers  all.    Let  us  follow  His  steps. 


357 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 
What  Jesus  Had  to  Say  About  Children. 

[February  12,  1899. 

More  important  and  impressive  than  anything  that 
Jesus  is  recorded  to  have  said  to  Httle  children,  or 
about  them,  is  the  fact  that  He  chose  to  come  into  the 
w^orld  in  the  helplessness  of  babyhood.  For  with  Him 
birth  was  elective.  He  might  have  burst  upon  the 
world  as  a  flaming  angel  or  as  a  full  grown  man,  in 
an  independence  and  superiority  sharply  accentuated. 
Instead,  he  elected,  in  the  very  manner  of  His  advent, 
to  emphasize  His  fellowship  and  equality  with  us.  And 
in  doing  this  He  chose  to  do  it  on  the  lowest  level  of 
humanity.  He  fixed  His  eyes  upon  Bethlehem,  not 
upon  Rome.  Not  a  palace,  but  a  stable,  gave  Him 
welcome  and  sheltered  Him.  The  incarnation  was  the 
eternal  coronation  of  womanhood  and  motherhood.  It 
has  made  every  cradle  a  sanctuary,  and  has  imparted 
an  imperishable  charm  to  childhood.  Christianity,  cen- 
tering as  it  does  in  Jesus  Christ  as  the  Eternal  Son  of 
God,  become  flesh,  has  made  it  forever  impossible  to 
make  womanhood  the  badge  of  subjection  and  child- 
hood the  victim  of  indifference  and  cruelty.  It  has 
made  every  one  of  us  eternally  debtor  to  both.  The 
world  needed  that  object  lesson,  and  it  is  needed  now. 
For  with  all  the  splendor  of  the  ancient  civilization  two 
things  disfigured  it  and  made  it  brutal  at  heart;  the 
universal  contempt  for  woman  and  the  low  estimate  of 
childhood.  Woman  was  a  slave.  Infanticide  was  no 
crime,  and  the  exposure  of  new  born  children,  flung 
away  to  die,  was  a  frequent  practice  which  passed  un- 
rebuked.    Satanic  fury  could  go  no  further  in  destroy- 

358 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

ing  the  very  foundation  of  domestic  life.  And  then, 
when  it  was  most  needed,  in  motherhood  and  child- 
hood, Jesus  Christ  entered  into  human  life  for  its  re- 
generation and  redemption.  No  longer  can  these  be 
subjects  for  coarse  or  flippant  speech  with  the  serious 
and  the  thoughtful.  They  are  the  burning  bush  in  the 
world's  wilderness,  aflame  wath  the  glory  of  the  In- 
carnate Son  of  God.  Every  man  should  see  in  the  face 
of  every  woman  the  face  of  his  sister  and  mother ;  and 
every  woman  should  see  in  her  own  face,  reflected 
from  the  mirror,  the  face  of  her  who,  in  her  virginity, 
gave  birth  to  the  world's  Redeemer.  That  will  give 
to  every  woman  the  grace  of  a  quiet,  queenly  dignity; 
that  will  foster  in  every  man  a  fine  and  welcome  cour- 
tesy ;  and  the  combination  of  the  two  will  make  the 
home  a  heaven  on  earth.  And  the  child,  entering  such 
a  home,  will  bring  with  it  the  charm  and  beauty  of 
the  Son  of  Mary.  There  are  some  for  whom  the  in- 
carnation is  only  a  doctrine  of  scholastic  divinity,  in- 
conceivable and  absurd ;  and,  for  the  most  part,  we 
connect  it  with  the  atonement,  as  its  indispensable  con- 
dition, to  make  it  effective  for  our  eternal  salvation. 
But  it  bottoms  all  life.  It  is  the  corner  stone  of  the 
domestic  and  social  structure.  In  its  tribute  to  woman- 
hood it  cuts  the  root  of  all  sensuality ;  and  in  its  tribute 
to  childhood  it  crowns  humanity  at  birth. 

The  profound  appreciation  and  intense  affection  so 
frequently  displayed  by  Jesus  for  childhood  strike 
their  roots  in  His  personal  choice  of  birth  as  the  gate 
of  entrance  into  human  life  for  its  eternal  redemption, 
and  in  His  personal  experience  of  all  the  normal  phases 
of  child  life.     The  omniscience  which  belonged  to  the 

359 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

Eternal  Son  of  God  assumed  the  form  of  personal  ex- 
perience in  the  incarnation.  He  knew  Himself  as  a 
little  child,  and  so  understood  childhood  in  immediate 
and  exhaustive  experience.  And  for  the  same  reason 
His  love  for  children  had  in  it  a  strength  and  depth 
of  tenderness  which  differentiated  it  radically  from 
any  sentimental  attraction.  He  loved  because  He  val- 
ued. It  was  not  their  innocence  which  appealed  to 
Him.  It  was  not  merely  their  docility  and  frankness 
which  won  His  heart.  It  was  their  immortal  worth 
which  laid  its  mighty  spell  upon  His  spirit.  No 
offenses,  in  His  judgment,  were  graver  than  the 
offenses  against  childhood.  To  be  drowned  in  the  sea, 
with  a  millstone  hung  around  the  neck,  was  declared  to 
be  an  adequate  punishment  for  such  as  despised  and  dis- 
torted a  little  child.  They  were  not  without  guardians 
and  avengers.  In  heaven,  Jesus  declared,  their  angels 
always  beheld  the  face  of  the  Father.  These  had  im- 
mediate access  into  His  presence,  always  welcome,  al- 
ways eager  to  report  any  wrong  done  to  a  little  child. 
It  is  not  a  sentimental  doctrine  of  guardian  angels 
which  is  taught  in  that  saying.  The  words  take  a 
much  wider  sweep.  The  Father  Himself  is  the  special 
guardian,  and  the  angels  are  simply  His  emissaries, 
His  informants  and  the  executives  of  His  will.  Of 
course,  all  this  is  pictorial,  for  God  needs  no  reporters. 
But,  looking  through  the  picture,  we  learn  that  the 
world  of  childhood  lies  very  near  the  heart  of  God.  In 
that  love  Jesus  shared.  To  despise  a  child  was  to  de- 
spise Him,  and  to  receive  a  child  was  to  receive  Him. 
If  Christ  ever  clasped  your  hand  he  clasped  it  when 
you  were  born,  and  the  baby  hand  is  always  between 

360 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

your  palm  and  His.  No  wonder,  then,  that  Jesus  was 
angry  when  His  disciples  thrust  themselves  between 
Him  and  the  little  children.  No  wonder,  then,  that  He 
smiled  upon  them  when  they  waved  their  bits  of  palm 
and  shouted  their  hosannas,  even  in  the  temple  courts, 
when  their  elders  fell  into  silence.  In  them  He  discov- 
ered the  perfection  of  praise. 

The  child  is  father  to  the  man.  There  is  an  unin- 
terrupted physical  growth  from  infancy  to  maternity. 
The  body  is  stamped  at  birth.  And  the  soul  is  stamped 
at  birth.  Moral  life  has  its  unbroken  continuity.  We 
are  not  born  angels  and  then  lapse  into  sin.  All  are 
sinners  and  none  can  locate  the  emergence  into  con- 
sciousness of  guilt.  Somehow  it  is  born  in  and  with 
us.  In  some  way  it  is  part  of  our  moral  inheritance. 
The  fact  is  clear  though  the  philosophy  of  it  escapes 
us.  If  the  man  needs  forgiveness,  it  is  because  the 
child  needs  it.  If  the  man  needs  the  grace  of  adoption, 
it  is  because  the  child  needs  it.  Whatever,  in  the 
range  of  Christ's  redeeming  action,  past,  present  or  fu- 
ture, the  most  abandoned  sinner  needs  for  his  salva- 
tion, that,  and  all  of  it,  the  youngest  child  needs.  If, 
then,  we  believe,  as  we  most  assuredly  do,  that  all  who 
die  in  infancy  are  saved  eternally,  we  do  not,  and  can- 
not, believe  in  infant  salvation  apart  from  atonement 
and  regeneration.  Children  are  not  saved  because  they 
are  sinless.  Children  are  saved  because  Jesus  loved 
them  and  died  to  save  them.  This  is  our  great 
contention,  and  our  supreme  comfort,  that  redeeming 
grace  awaits  the  new  born  babe,  shields  it,  encom- 
passes it,  works  within  it,  and  upon  it,  and  can  be  de- 
feated only  when  the  soul  tears  itself  away.    I  charge 

361 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

you,  fathers  and  mothers,  to  lay  it  to  heart,  that  child- 
hood lies  wrapped  up  in  the  eternal  covenant  of  re- 
demption. Not  even  sin  has  so  firm  a  hold  upon  the 
child  as  the  grace  of  Jesus  Christ.  The  child  is  His, 
by  purchase  as  well  as  by  creation,  by  the  sovereign 
claim  of  redemption  as  well  as  by  proprietary  posses- 
sion. Thus  our  doctrine  of  infant  salvation  is  not  a 
limitation  of  the  atonement,  its  restriction  to  adults, 
but  its  extension  as  God's  eternal  and  universal 
method  of  moral  discipline.  Under  the  cradle  is  the 
pierced  palm,  and  that  palm  is  under  every  cradle ! 

Of  great  and  permanent  significance  is  that  other 
word  of  Jesus  concerning  children,  in  which  their  use- 
fulness is  set  forth.  I  do  not  mean  those  repeated  say- 
ings, in  which  Jesus,  as  a  rebuke  to  pride  and  hypoc- 
risy, makes  a  little  child  the  text  of  his  exhortation.  I 
mean  that  oft  quoted  sentence,  ''Of  such  is  the  kingdom 
of  heaven."  We  repeat  the  sweet  words  over  the  tiny 
caskets.  They  are  full  of  comfort.  But  the  comfort 
of  them  is  not  the  tone  to  which  they  were  keyed.  It 
was  the  hour  of  His  approaching  passion,  when  His 
face  wore  an  unusual  sternness,  and  when  even  Peter 
urged  Him  to  be  cautious.  It  was  then  that  certain 
mothers  brought  their  children  to  Him  and  the  disci- 
ples forced  them  back.  They  meant  well,  but  unwit- 
tingly they  sought  to  separate  Him  from  His  natural 
allies.  There  was  indignation  in  His  rebuke  as  He 
uttered  that  great  word,  ''Theirs  is  the  kingdom  of 
heaven."  The  kingdom  of  God  is  not  heaven ;  it  is  the 
rule  of  God  on  earth.  To  found  the  kingdom  was  the 
mission  of  Jesus.  To  make  that  kingdom  universal 
and  permanent  is  our  one  task  under  His  leadership. 

362 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

And  childhood  is  the  hope  of  that  kingdom.  From 
its  ranks  Jesus  recruits  His  army  of  conquest.  It  is  an 
old  and  oft  repeated  story,  the  story  of  a  scarred  and 
crippled  veteran  who  watched  a  great  military  proces- 
sion. First  came  the  heroes  of  the  past,  in  faded  and  ill- 
fitting  uniforms,  with  banners  begrimed  with  smoke 
and  hanging  in  shreds  from  the  poles ;  at  sight  of  which 
the  veteran  wept  as  he  said,  ^'We  have  been  brave!" 
Next  came  the  warriors  of  the  present,  with  firm  and 
confident  tread,  with  serious  and  strong  faces,  cov- 
ered with  bright  new  badges  and  medals ;  at  sight  of 
which  the  veteran's  eyes  flashed  as  he  said:  "Thank 
God,  we  are  brave !"  Last  came  the  boys  and  young 
men,  with  eager  and  dancing  step,  with  fresh  and 
flaming  banners;  at  sight  of  which  the  veteran  flung 
high  his  cap  as  he  shouted:  "Thank  God,  we  will 
be  brave  and  the  dear  fatherland  is  safe !"  A  nation's 
future  is  in  the  patriotism  of  its  children.  To  them 
belongs  the  guardianship  of  the  flag.  Children  are  the 
hope  of  the  church  and  of  the  world.  Theirs  is  the 
kingdom.  That  is  a  bugle  call  of  service  to  the  boys 
and  the  girls.  Christ  wants  them  in  His  army,  and 
He  wants  them  before  anybody  else  can  get  at  them. 
There  is  where  they  belong.  They  are  out  of  place 
anywhere  else.  Gather  them  in,  gather  the  children 
in !  Gather  them  in  your  homes,  in  the  Sunday 
schools  of  the  great  cities,  in  all  the  lands  and 
among  all  the  peoples !  If  Jesus  could  lay  His  hand 
upon  them  when  they  were  so  young  and  so  lit- 
tle that  He  had  to  take  them  from  the  arms  of  their 
mothers,  you  and  I  may  well  be  eager  to  win  them 
for  Him.     The  world  of  childhood  lies  against  His 

363 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

heart ;  the  world  of  childhood  meets  the  breath  of  His 
lips;  the  world  of  childhood  Hes  under  His  benedic- 
tion :  "Oh,  gather  them  in,  gather  the  children  in !" 


What   Jesus   Had  to   Say   About   Marriage   and 
Divorce. 

[February  19,  1899.] 

John,  the  beloved  disciple,  whose  mother,  Salome, 
appears  to  have  been  the  sister  of  Mary,  the  mother 
of  Jesus,  tells  us  where  and  under  what  circumstances 
Christ  performed  His  first  miracle.  It  was  in  Cana 
of  Galilee,  the  birthplace  and  home  of  Nathaniel,  a  lit- 
tle hill  town  about  four  miles  northeast  of  Nazareth, 
on  the  w^ay  to  Tiberias.  The  occasion  was  a  wedding 
in  which  Mary,  the  mother  of  Jesus,  seems  to  have 
had  more  than  the  interest  of  an  ordinary  guest,  and 
to  which  Jesus  and  His  disciples  had  been  invited. 
The  statement  is,  that  "Jesus  was  called"  to  the  mar- 
riage. He  was  one  of  the  formally  invited  guests. 
His  disciples  were  not  so  called,  but  appearing  with 
Him,  and  with  His  permission,  they  were  made  wel- 
come for  His  sake.  There  must  have  been  more  than 
ordinary  intimacy  between  the  bride's  parents  and  the 
mother  of  Jesus,  because  we  find  Mary,  who  always 
appears  as  of  a  retiring  disposition,  concerned  about 
the  comfort  of  the  guests.  In  her  perplexity  she  turned 
to  her  Son,  and  she  evidently  understood  Him  better 
than  some  critics  have  done,  who  have  read  His  reply 
as  a  sharp  repulse.  There  was  something  in  His  tone 
that  reassured  her;  so  that  she  turned  to  the  servants 

364 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

and  whispered :  "Whatsoever  He  saith  unto  you,  do  it." 
And  the  water  was  turned  into  wine. 

The  incident  evidently  made  a  very  profound  im- 
pression upon  John.  For,  after  describing  the  jour- 
ney of  Jesus  to  Jerusalem  and  His  return  to  Galilee, 
by  way  of  Samaria,  the  evangelist  says  that  Jesus 
came  again  into  Cana  of  Galilee,  adding,  "where  he 
made  the  water  wine."  Nor  does  John  leave  us  in 
doubt  as  to  how  the  miracle  impressed  him.  He 
speaks  of  it  as  manifesting  the  glory  of  Christ,  as  a 
breaking  forth  of  His  eternal  and  beneficent  dignity. 
The  miracle  revealed  and  illustrated  His  mission.  He 
came  to  be  helpful  to  men,  to  change  the  w^ater  of  life 
into  wine.  But  we  should  not  overlook  the  gracious 
way  in  which  this  was  done.  He  came  to  the  rescue 
of  His  mother  and  saved  her  from  what  would  have 
been  a  very  painful  experience  to  her  sensitive  spirit. 
He  came  to  the  rescue  of  the  guests,  who  praised  the 
host  not  only  for  the  abundance  of  the  wine,  but  for 
its  quality  as  the  best  wine  of  the  feast.  And  in  doing 
all  this.  He  placed  a  wreath  upon  the  brow  of  the  bride 
which  has  made  marriage  forever  sacred.  In  the  mar- 
riage service  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  the 
contracting  parties  and  tlie  witnesses  are  reminded 
that  matrimony  is  an  honorable  estate,  "instituted  of 
God  in  the  time  of  man's  innocency,  which  holy  estate 
Christ  indorsed  and  beautified  with  His  presence  and 
first  miracle  that  He  wrought  in  Cana  of  Galilee." 
Jesus  did  more  than  ratify  marriage ;  He  adorned  and 
beautified  it  by  His  presence  and  miracle.  There  is  no 
record  that  during  His  subsequent  ministry  He  was 
ever  present  again  at  a  wedding.     But  to  work  His 

365 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

first  miracle  at  a  marriage  feast,  to  which  He  brought 
His  disciples,  invests  wedlock  with  a  solemn  and 
sacred  pre-eminence.  Groom  and  bride  must  have  re- 
membered it  as  long  as  they  Hved.  The  presence  of 
the  chief  magistrate  with  his  cabinet  officers  would 
grace  any  wedding  party.  They  would  outrank  all 
other  guests.  But  their  glory  pales  before  the  luster 
of  Him  who  lent  the  charm  of  His  presence  and  the 
favor  of  His  indorsement  to  the  marriage  in  Cana  of 
Galilee.  It  was  a  humble  home,  and  they  were  but  a 
humble  pair  who  exchanged  their  vows  and  plighted 
their  troth  that  day.  Their  names  have  not  been  pre- 
served ;  their  history  is  unknown.  That  gives  to  the 
presence  of  Jesus  all  the  greater  meaning  and  warrants 
us  in  the  conviction  that  His  act  was  intended  to  have 
universal  significance.  It  consecrates  and  makes  Chris- 
tian every  altar  of  wedlock.  He  joins  the  hands,  He 
gives  the  ring.  He  seals  the  bond  with  His  benediction. 
We  see  Him  not,  but  He  is  there ;  the  most  radiant  of 
all  the  guests,  the  most  eager  of  all  who  offer  their 
congratulations.  Alas,  for  such  as  do  not  call  Him 
to  the  marriage.  They  miss  the  most  gracious  pres- 
ence, they  fail  of  the  richest  dowry.  More  precious 
than  silver  and  jewels  is  the  gift  which  He  confers. 
It  will  make  the  humblest  home  a  paradise.  Happy, 
thrice  happy  are  they  who  call  Him  to  the  marriage ; 
for  if  they  call  Him  He  will  come,  and  He  will  come 
as  He  did  to  Cana  in  Galilee,  to  change  the  water  into 
wine  and  to  manifest  His  glory. 

In  what  our  Lord  said  about  marriage  He  empha- 
sized first  of  all  its  sanctity.  One  need  only  read  at- 
tentively what  He  regarded  the   Seventh   Command- 

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THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

ment  as  forbidding,  to  discover  that  He  looked  upon 
wedlock  as  fibered  upon  the  purest  love.  Lust,  Jesus 
declared,  is  adultery.  It  is  hateful  and  wicked  after 
marriage,  in  marriage  and  before  marriage.  Between 
it  and  the  love  which  constitutes  true  wedlock  there  is 
eternal  and  uncompromising  warfare.  Where  love 
rules  lust  cannot  come ;  and  where  lust  rules  love  can- 
not enter.  The  doctrine  is  radical  and  revolutionary. 
It  cuts  the  root  of  all  sensuality  and  crowns  marriage 
with  the  w^hite  flame  of  holy  affection.  And  because 
marriage  is  sacred  the  bond  is  indissoluble.  Both  par- 
ties leave  their  kindred  and  become  one  flesh,  so  that 
any  separation  of  whatever  nature  is  mutilation,  as  if 
one  living  body  should  be  cut  in  two.  This  Jesus  said 
was  the  Divine  intention  from  the  beginning  and  for- 
ever remains  the  law ;  for  w^hat  God  joins  together  no 
man  may  put  asunder. 

It  is  at  this  point  that  Jesus  introduces  His  doc- 
trine of  divorce,  in  which  He  revises  the  Mosaic  law, 
and  runs  counter  to  the  universal  custom  of  His  time. 
Even  His  disciples  w^ere  amazed  at  His  teaching,  and 
frankly  said  to  Him  that,  under  His  interpretation  of 
what  marriage  meant,  the  unmarried  state  \vas  the 
best.  His  doctrine,  as  reported  by  Luke,  in  the 
eighteenth  verse  of  the  sixteenth  chapter  of  His  gos- 
pel, amounts  to  this :  "Once  married,  married  for  life." 
And  upon  that  statement  of  the  case,  the  Roman  Cath- 
olic Church  has  always  refused  to  sanction  marriage 
between  parties  one  of  whom  has  been  divorced. 
Marriage,  that  church  maintains,  can  be  dissolved  only 
by  death.  No  divorce  is  recognized  as  valid.  There 
may    be    dissolution    by    special    dispensation    of    the 

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THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

Pope ;  but  this,  it  must  be  remembered,  is  regarded  as 
the  exercise  of  authority  truly  and  properly  divine. 
As  the  order  of  nature,  both  in  the  State  and  the 
church,  the  marriage  tie  cannot  be  loosed ;  it  must  hold 
until  death  parts.  And  Rome  cannot  be  gainsaid,  so 
long  as  we  read  only  Luke.  When,  however,  we  turn 
to  the  first  and  earlier  gospel,  we  discover  that  Jesus 
said  more  than  Luke  reports  Him  to  have  said.  Turn- 
ing to  the  tenth  verse  of  the  nineteenth  chapter  of 
Matthew's  gospel,  we  find  that  Jesus  added  an  im- 
portant qualification.  He  recognized  adultery  as  good 
and  sufficient  ground  for  absolute  divorce,  with  the 
right  of  marriage  by  the  innocent  party ;  but  He  recog- 
nized no  other  ground  for  divorce.  Through  adultery 
the  guilty  party  commits  moral  suicide,  and  that  moral 
death  cuts  the  marriage  bond.  Even  here  it  is  not  as- 
serted that  divorce  must  follow  upon  adultery.  The 
way  is  open  for  that,  though  other  considerations  may 
come  in  to  make  it  unwise  and  even  cruel.  Divorce  is 
one  of  the  reserved  rights  of  the  innocent  party  in 
such  a  case,  a  right  to  be  cautiously  exercised.  The 
surgery  may  be  necessary  and  obligatory ;  but  even 
then  it  will  be  surgery,  leaving  a  wound  which  can 
never  be  healed.  So,  too,  is  remarriage  by  the  inno- 
cent party  treated  as  permissible,  but  it  is  not  recom- 
mended. The  undertone  of  the  original  law  makes  it- 
self heard  in  one  solitary  exception  :  "Once  married, 
married  for  life."  The  great  dramatist  reminds  us  that 
it  is  better  to 

"Bear  the  ills  we  have 
Than  to  fly  to  others  that  we  know  not  of." 

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THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

It  certainly  would  seem  to  be  the  dictate  of  wis- 
dom, where  marriage  has  proved  to  be  so  dishonoring 
and  dishonorable  an  estate  that  divorce  offers  the  only 
release  that  another  marriage  calls  for  the  greatest  de- 
liberation and  caution.  When  it  comes  to  such  di- 
vorces as  are  freely  given  in  many  States  upon  the 
slightest  pretext,  often  by  mutual  consent,  and  by  per- 
jured testimony,  they  are  without  Christian  sanction, 
and  should  be  frowned  upon  by  all  who  place  any 
value  upon  a  pure  home  life.  The  doctrine  of  Jesus 
seemed  a  harsh  one  to  His  own  disciples,  and  it  is  so 
regarded  now.  Then,  as  now,  marriages  were  entered 
into  hastily,  and  the  haste  was  encouraged  by  the  ease 
with  which  the  divorce  could  be  secured.  Make  di- 
vorce difficult,  and  marriage  will  gain  in  dignity. 
Make  divorce  well  nigh  impossible,  let  it  come  under 
the  universal  social  ban,  and  marriage  will  cease  to  be 
hasty  and  ill-considered.  When  marriage  is  regarded 
as  a  covenant,  and  not  as  a  secular  or  civil  compact, 
the  creature  of  fickle  and  changing  legislation,  as  a 
covenant  in  which  two  become  one,  to  live  a  common 
life  and  share  a  common  fortune,  we  shall  hear  less  of 
unhappy  homes.  The  time  to  avert  such  a  disaster  is 
the  time  before  the  solemn  vows  are  exchanged.  After 
that  it  should  be  "for  better,  for  worse,  for  richer,  for 
poorer,  in  sickness  and  in  health,  till  death  us  do  part ; 
according  to  God's  holy  ordinance ;  and  thereto  I 
plight  thee  my  troth." 

There  is  one  other  saying  of  Jesus  about  marriage 
v/hich  commands  attention.  It  bears  upon  the  rela- 
tion of  marriage  to  the  celestial  and  eternal  life. 
Of   that    life    He   plainly   says    that   marriage    forms 

369 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

no  part,  but  that  the  redeemed  shall  be  as  the  angels 
of  God.  Marriage  is  the  holy  ordinance  of  God  upon 
earth ;  it  is  not  perpetuated  in  heaven.  That  does  not 
mean,  however,  that  the  holy  affections  which  organize 
the  home,  and  which  are  cultivated  in  it,  are  to  be  ex- 
terminated, or  to  suffer  eclipse.  There  is  an  eternal 
element  in  all  that  is  transient;  and  when  the  husk 
vanishes  or  decays,  the  life  is  not  extinguished.  It 
takes  on  a  nobler  form,  as  does  the  oak  which  has  its 
birth  in  the  death  of  the  acorn.  Marriage  is  the  cradle 
of  the  finest,  sweetest,  holiest  affection.  It  is  a  school 
of  gentlest  culture  and  of  gracious  forbearance.  The 
years  do  not  strip  it  of  its  charms.  Poverty,  sickness, 
age — these  do  not  loose  the  silken  bonds.  And  death 
cannot  bury  the  holy  friendship  thus  born  and  nur- 
tured. They  will  outgrow  their  earthly  form  and  im- 
perfection, but  all  that  was  true  and  good  and  noble 
in  them  will  blossom  into  brighter  beauty  in  the 
realms  where  they  neither  marry  nor  are  given  in 
marriage.  It  does  not  mean  oblivion.  They  who  have 
shared  a  common  life  on  earth,  mutually  helpful  and 
gladdening — husbands  and  wives,  parents  and  chil- 
dren, brothers  and  sisters — cannot  help  entering  into 
a  deeper  and  larger  and  sweeter  celestial  fellowship, 
though  the  earthly  relationship  be  not  continued  or  re- 
sumed. We  shall  know  each  other.  We  shall  love 
each  other.  If  in  the  hour  of  holy  wedlock  we  have 
laid  deep  and  strong  the  foundations  of  mutual  affec- 
tion, confidence  and  fellowship,  storm  and  tempest  will 
not  shake  the  house  which  we  build  upon  them,  and 
when  death  parts  the  hands,  hearts  will  still  be  one, 
and  hearts  will  remain  one  forever !    In  many  a  garret 

370 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

you  will  find  an  empty  cradle.  It  is  no  longer  needed. 
It  was  once  the  center  of  all  that  was  sweet  and  tender. 
One  by  one  the  children  were  rocked  in  it.  But  the 
boys  and  girls  are  men  and  women  now.  The  cradle 
is  discarded,  but  its  former  occupants  remain,  the 
strength  and  beauty  of  a  larger  home.  Marriage  is 
the  cradle  of  holiest  love.  We  shall  outgrow  it  and 
leave  it  behind,  but  the  affections  which  were  rocked 
in  it  shall  be  our  strength  and  beauty  forever ! 


What  Jesus  Had  to  Say  About  Nature. 
[February  26,  1899.] 

Jesus  was  born  in  Bethlehem,  in  the  hill  country 
of  Judea.  The  greater  part  of  His  life,  however,  was 
spent  in  Northern  Galilee.  Nazareth  w^as  the  city  of 
His  childhood  and  youth  and  early  manhood ;  the  city, 
too,  where  Mary  and  Joseph  had  their  residence  be- 
fore He  w^as  born.  The  preaching  of  John  the  Baptist 
brought  Jesus  dov/n  to  the  Jordan  on  the  borders  of 
Judea,  and  after  a  brief  sojourn  in  the  neighborhood 
He  returned  to  Galilee,  making  Capernaum,  a  sea 
town  on  the  shores  of  the  Lake  of  Galilee,  the  head- 
quarters of  his  early  ministry.  Nazareth  was  a  hill 
town  situated  inland  about  twenty-five  miles  south- 
west from  Capernaum,  nearly  midway  between  the 
Jordan  and  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  twenty  miles 
from  the  former  and  thirty  miles  from  the  lat- 
ter. Mount  Tabor,  with  an  elevation  of  over  two 
thousand  feet  above  the  sea  level,  was  only  five 
miles  from  Nazareth  eastward  on  the  road  to  Tiberias, 

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THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

an  easy  and  much  frequented  walk.  From  its  summit, 
crowned  with  a  Roman  fort,  there  was  an  extended 
view.  The  Mediterranean  and  the  Sea  of  GaHlee 
could  easily  be  seen.  Toward  the  south,  Mount  Gil- 
boa  was  outlined  against  the  sky,  and  on  the  west  rose 
the  ridge  of  Carmel,  nearly  twenty-three  hundred  feet 
above  the  sea  level.  Sixty  miles  away  toward  the 
north  could  be  seen  the  mountains  of  Lebanon,  con- 
tinued westward  and  southward  in  the  ranges  of  Her- 
mon  and  Bashan,  varying  in  elevation  from  six  to  ten 
thousand  feet  above  the  sea  level,  snow  crowned  and 
snow  mantled  the  whole  year  round.  From  the  sum- 
mit of  Tabor,  too,  the  great  plain  of  Esdraelon 
stretched  westward,  gorgeous  in  summer  with  its  car- 
pet of  flowers.  Such  was  the  natural  scenery  in  which 
Jesus  grew  up.  The  country  was  the  residence  of  a 
busy,  energetic  population.  Cities  and  towns  were  nu- 
merous and  prosperous.  The  waters  of  the  inland  lake 
abounded  in  fish;  and  the  fisherman's  craft,  then  as 
now,  produced  a  race  of  men  inured  to  hardness ;  ob- 
servant, alert,  brave,  energetic,  independent.  Toward 
them  Jesus  seems  naturally  to  have  been  drawn, 
though  Himself  growing  up  in  a  carpenter's  home. 
He  called  His  first  disciples  from  their  nets  while  He 
was  walking  by  the  sea.  The  phrase  occurs  repeat- 
edly, as  if  between  Jesus  and  the  sea  there  was  some 
subtle  attraction.  He  could  sleep  upon  its  bosom  when 
the  waves  threatened  to  engulf  the  boat,  and  when  the 
oarsmen  had  given  up  the  unequal  contest.  At  their 
cry  He  arose,  and  when  the  waters  heard  His  voice 
they  settled  into  calm.  At  another  time  He  came  to 
His    endangered    disciples    walking    upon    the    wild 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

waters  as  if  they  had  been  a  pavement  of  granite. 
From  a  boat  He  preached  to  a  multitude  who  Hned 
the  shore.  Even  after  His  resurrection  we  find  Him 
again  walking  by  the  sea,  as  He  had  so  often  done,  di- 
recting the  movement  of  His  disciples  and  conversing 
with  them.  This  love  for  the  sea  seems  to  have  been 
associated  with  an  equally  strong  love  for  the  moun- 
tains. Frequently  He  withdrew  to  a  mountain  to 
spend  the  night  in  prayer.  In  the  neighborhood  of  Ca- 
pernaum there  is  a  hill  which  is  known  as  the  Mount 
of  Beatitudes,  and  upon  one  of  the  slopes  of  snowy 
Hermon  it  is  supposed  that  Jesus  was  transfigured. 

It  is  in  such  incidental  strokes  of  description  that 
we  discover  the  knowledge  and  love  of  Jesus  for  nat- 
ural scenery.  It  appears  as  wrought  into  the  fiber  of 
His  personal  habits,  and  it  colors  all  His  discourses. 
He  speaks,  as  it  were,  in  the  dialect  of  Nature.  The 
wolves  He  had  seen  prowling  for  their  prey;  the  ser- 
pents and  vipers,  noiseless  in  movement,  vicious  in 
temper.  With  the  habits  of  foxes  and  birds  He  was 
acquainted.  The  doves  and  the  sparrows  attracted  His 
attention.  For  Him  the  lilies  outranked  in  beaut}^  the 
splendor  of  royal  courts.  The  grass  and  the  trees, 
the  sprouting  grain  and  the  waving  harvest  arrested 
His  eyes.  The  vines,  bleeding  from  their  early  and 
severe  pruning,  green  in  their  first  sprouting,  bending 
low  with  their  heavy  white  and  purple  burden,  seem  to 
have  been  the  objects  of  special  favorite  observation 
from  which  He  drew  many  important  and  impressive 
lessons.  The  sheep  He  loved,  and  knew  the  shep- 
herd's way  with  them,  and  love  for  them.  He  had 
studied  the  sky,  with  its  glories  of  sunrise  and  sunset. 

373 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

He  was  observant  of  wind  and  lightning,  of  heavy 
rains  and  rushing  floods.  He  never  discoursed  upon 
these  things.  There  are  no  studied  and  elaborate 
descriptions  of  them,  as  is  the  habit  of  novelists 
and  poets.  The  fine  and  delicate  threads  are  woven 
into  the  heavier  gold  of  His  teaching.  That  is  always 
solemn  and  searching,  but  the  dash  of  beauty  is  in  and 
through  it  all.  And  so  we  are  told  that  it  was  His 
habit  to  teach  by  parable,  by  appeal  to  visible  things 
with  which  all  were  familiar.  And  this  use  of  Nature 
by  way  of  illustrating  and  enforcing  His  teaching  was 
so  simple  and  natural  as  to  imply  a  deep  seated  and 
ardent  love  for  what  earth  and  sea  and  air  contained. 

The  fact  that  Jesus  taught  by  parables  reveals  an 
attitude  and  estimate  of  Nature  entitled  to  serious  at- 
tention. The  attraction  which  Nature  had  for  Him 
was  not  limited  to  the  beauty  in  which  it  was  robed. 
It  lay  in  the  discernment  that  its  forms  and  processes 
conveyed  lessons  of  the  utmost  importance.  If  the 
floods  sweep  away  the  house  which  is  built  upon  the 
sand,  so  must  they  come  to  shame  and  ruin  who  know 
the  truth  but  do  not  obey  it.  If  God  cares  for  spar- 
rows and  flowers,  He  will  surely  not  neglect  men.  If 
the  heralds  of  a  coming  storm  can  be  read  in  the  sky, 
there  must  be  a  rational  order  in  all  that  takes  place. 
If  the  branches  of  the  vine  are  made  more  fruitful  by 
severe  pruning,  so  are  souls  made  richer  by  the  dis- 
cipline of  suffering.  If  the  good  seed  is  scorched  by 
the  heat  when  it  falls  upon  stony  ground,  and  is 
choked  when  it  is  crowded  and  overshadowed  by 
thorns,  so  does  the  word  of  truth  result  in  no  perma- 
nent benefit  where  it  is  superficially  retained,  or  where 

374 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

it  is  blanketed  by  the  cares  of  the  world.  It  must  fall 
into  an  honest  and  good  heart,  where  it  is  received, 
understood  and  retained.  If  a  little  leaven  can  leaven 
a  great  mass  of  meal,  so  can  a  fixed  and  ultimate 
choice  change  the  whole  character  and  life ;  and  one 
holy  life  can  save  the  world.  If  a  mustard  seed  can 
grow  into  a  tree,  so  can  an  insignificant  beginning  ul- 
timate in  universal  conquest.  If  a  grain  of  wheat 
must  die  before  it  has  its  resurrection  in  abundant 
fruitage,  so  must  Christ  die  before  He  can  enter  into 
His  glory.  The  undertone  is  always  the  same ;  Na- 
ture is  a  divine  and  authoritative  teacher.  Professor 
Drummond  was  right  in  his  main  idea,  when  he  wrote 
his  book,  so  much  praised  and  so  severely  criticised, 
on  "Natural  Law  in  the  Spiritual  World." 

The  order  of  Nature  and  of  Spirit  is  one.  The 
only  difference  between  the  two  is  one  of  method. 
The  order  of  Nature  operates  under  the  law  of  neces- 
sity ;  the  order  of  Spirit  operates  under  the  law  of  per- 
sonal freedom.  Aside  from  that  fundamental  differ- 
ence, the  realm  of  Nature  is  a  symbol  of  the  realm  of 
Spirit.  There  is  not  only  law  or  order  in  both,  but 
spiritual  and  eternal  truth  is  suggested  and  shadowed 
forth  in  the  processes  and  results  of  Nature.  From  the 
very  beginning,  and  by  eternal  design,  as  Paul  de- 
clares, the  invisible  things  of  God,  even  His  eternal 
power  and  Godhead,  are  clearly  seen  and  understood 
by  the  things  that  are  made.  The  revelation  is  not 
complete,  but  it  is  true  and  reliable,  as  far  as  it  goes ; 
and  it  goes  very  far.  The  heavens  declare  the  glory 
of  God.  Day  unto  day  uttereth  speech ;  night  unto 
night  showeth  knowledge.    Upon  this  view  of  Nature 

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THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

Jesus  took  His  stand  and  made  its  beauty  luminous  in 
the  garment  of  truth,  so  that  to  find 

'Tongues  in  trees,  books  in  the  running  brooks, 
Sermons  in  stones  and  good  in  everything," 

is  not  the  quaint  conceit  of  the  great  dramatist,  but 
the  rational  estimate  and  use  of  the  great  world  in 
which  we  live.  Jesus  did  that  and  opened  for  us  a 
wide  door  into  fields  which  microscope  and  telescope 
are  continually  extending,  and  of  which  books  give  us 
only  a  broken  outline. 

One  other  fact  in  the  attitude  of  Jesus  toward  Na- 
ture remains  to  be  spoken  of.  It  is  his  conscious  su- 
periority to  and  mastery  over  Nature.  He  obeys  its 
laws  and  adjusts  Himself  to  its  order;  but  He  also 
transcends  that  order  without  destroying  it.  He  walks 
upon  the  waters,  when  Peter  sinks.  He  makes  the 
winds  and  the  sea  obey  Him.  He  feeds  thousands 
with  a  few  loaves  and  fishes.  He  heals  the  sick  and 
restores  the  dead  to  life.  And  He  does  all  this  with- 
out giving  the  slightest  shock  to  the  natural  order.  In 
all  His  miracles  He  displays  the  knowledge  and 
power  of  a  master.  The  complete  and  sovereign  mas- 
tery which  Jesus  displays  in  what  we  call  His  mira- 
cles has  its  lower  forms  in  plants  and  animals  and 
men.  There  is  in  a  living  seed  a  mastery  over  the 
elements  of  Nature  which  no  mechanical  appliances 
and  no  chemical  combinations  have  been  able  to  repro- 
duce. It  is  a  unique  mastery,  converting  soil  and  air 
and  sunshine  into  vegetable  fiber,  into  grasses,  flowers, 
fruits  and  mighty  forests,  a  mastery  which  gives  to 
yielding  grass  blade  and  tiny  stalk  an  energy  which 

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THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

counteracts  and  conquers  the  tremendous  force  of 
gravity.  And  yet  the  miracle  creates  no  disturbance  in 
the  order  of  Nature.  To  animals  belongs  a  still  higher 
mastery;  and  the  highest  mastery  belongs  to  man. 
But  whether  the  mastery  move  within  narrow  or  ex- 
tended lines,  it  produces  no  jar  in  the  universal  order. 
And  if  we  interpret  the  miracles  of  Jesus  by  the  sov- 
ereign mastery  which  He  claims  and  which  is  ascribed 
to  Him,  they  will  cease  to  disturb  us.  He,  by  whom 
all  things  were  made,  and  in  whom  they  find  their  sup- 
port, has  power  to  open  the  graves  and  summon  the 
dead  to  come  forth,  without  damage  to  the  order  of 
the  universe.  Miracle  is  the  sign  and  evidence  of  mas- 
tery. In  his  later  years  it  was  the  conceit  of  Ernest 
Renan,  who  reduced  the  life  of  Jesus  to  a  French  ro- 
mance, substituting  rhapsody  for  sober  scholarship, 
ruthlessly  eliminating  the  supernatural  from  the  record, 
that  the  processes  of  evolution  would  ultimate  in  the 
birth  of  a  supreme  genius,  mastering  every  secret  of 
Nature;  whose  practical  omniscience  would  invest 
Him  with  omnipotence ;  and  who  would  check  the  ad- 
vance of  death,  calling  out  of  their  graves  at  the  same 
time  all  who  had  fallen  into  the  deep  and  dark  abyss. 
For  such  a  master  the  soul  cries  out.  And  we  believe 
that  He  has  appeared  in  the  person  of  the  Incarnate 
Son  of  God,  in  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord,  whom  heaven 
and  earth  obey;  who  laid  His  pierced  palms  upon  the 
massive  gates  of  death,  wrenching  them  from  their 
ancient  supports  and  flooding  with  celestial  radiance 
the  sepulchers  of  earth.  Lover  of  Nature  is  He ;  in- 
terpreter of  Nature  is  He ;  and  master  of  Nature  is 
He,  crowning  it  with  the  glory  of  His  redemption. 

377 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

What  Jesus  Had  to  Say  About  God's  Care  of  His 
Creatures. 

[March  5,  1S99.] 

What  Jesus  had  to  say  about  God's  care  of  His 
creatures  may  be  summed  up  under  three  general 
heads.  That  care  He  declared  to  be  personal,  particu- 
lar and  paternal.  God's  providential  care  of  His  crea- 
tures, animate  and  inanimate,  Jesus  declared  to  be  the 
care  of  personal  superintendence  and  direction.  It  is 
God  who  feeds  the  birds  of  the  air.  It  is  God  who 
clothes  the  lilies  of  the  field.  It  is  God  who  sends 
sunshine  and  rain.  God's  personal  activity  is  always 
thrust  to  the  front.  Government  by  law  is  recognized, 
but  government  by  law  is  not  represented  as  elim- 
inating or  making  needless  God's  personal  and  contin- 
uous superintendence  and  action.  Few  words  have 
been  more  loosely  used  than  this  word  law.  It  has 
come  to  be  invested  with  a  sort  of  independent  energy, 
as  if  things  once  set  going  would  keep  on  forever. 
Thus  the  deist  conceived  of  the  universe  of  matter 
and  of  mind  as  a  vast,  complicated  machine,  with 
wheels  perfectly  fitted,  and  with  energy  stored  away, 
and  then  left  to  run  its  course  until  the  energy  had 
been  used  up,  or  the  wheels  had  worn  away.  The  deist 
attributes  creation  to  God;  but  he  denies  rulership  to 
Him.  In  fact,  he  regards  rulership  as  militating 
against  the  Creator's  perfection.  It  would  seem,  how- 
ever, that  a  mechanism  so  constructed  that  its  maker 
is  powerless  to  use  and  control  it  is  a  doubtful  tribute 
to  His  greatness. 

The   conception   of   the    universe   as   an   organism, 

378 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

however,  is  seriously  discredited  by  science.  Only  in 
a  very  loose  way  can  it  be  said  that  the  universe  is 
an  organism,  as  is  a  plant,  or  a  tree,  or  the  human 
body.  Life  divides  the  universe  into  two  great  sec- 
tions ;  between  which,  so  far,  no  link  has  been  discov- 
ered. And  in  the  section  where  life  is  the  common  at- 
tribute, the  emergence  in  man  of  self-consciousness 
and  self-direction,  of  reason  and  will,  makes  another 
division  into  the  non-personal  and  the  personal ;  be- 
tween which,  so  far,  no  link  has  been  discovered.  A 
universe  so  constituted  cannot  be  called  an  organism 
in  any  clear  and  proper  use  of  the  word.  Nor  will  the 
word  evolution  help  us  much.  The  evolution  of  a 
plant  is  one  thing ;  the  evolution  of  a  planet  is  another 
thing;  the  evolution  of  personal  character  is  still  an- 
other thing.  They  are  not  identical,  either  in  the 
shaping  energy  or  in  the  processes  of  unfolding. 
Matter,  life  and  personality  are  three  distinct  grades 
or  spheres,  which  cannot  be  traced  to  a  common  ma- 
terial source.  They  are  interlaced,  and  form  a  unity ; 
but  the  unity  is  metaphysical  or  transcendental. 

Some  find  the  more  adequate  conception  in  what  is 
called  "Monism,"  the  presence  and  operation  of  a  single 
energy  in  every  department  of  the  universe,  man  in- 
cluded ;  though  some  exclude  man  from  its  operation, 
conceding  to  him,  and  to  him  only,  a  true  independ- 
ence of  personal  life.  All  other  things  have  only  a 
seeming  reality.  Their  true  and  only  reality  is  the  en- 
ergy of  God's  personal  will.  Law  is  defined  as  a 
method  of  God's  action ;  so  that  every  grain  of  sand, 
every  drop  of  rain,  every  flake  of  snow,  every  crystal 
of  ice,  every  ray  of  light,  every  grass  blade,  leaf  and 

379 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

flower,  is  the  product  of  God's  creative  energy.  All 
this  God  does  in  an  orderly  way,  and  the  discovery  of 
this  order  gives  us  the  knowledge  of  what  we  call  the 
laws  of  Nature.  These  are  simply  the  way  in  which 
He  works.  Only  in  the  will  of  man  is  there  a  real  cen- 
ter of  created  personal  action.  God  works  and  man 
v/orks ;  nothing  else  does.  This  is  the  doctrine  of 
Lotze,  but  it  is  much  older.  Jonathan  Edwards  defined 
preservation  as  continuous  creation.  This  may  easily 
run  into  pantheism,  which  identifies  God  and  the  uni- 
verse, but  the  monist  earnestly  repudiates  the  charge 
of  pantheism.  I  think  he  goes  too  far  when  he  says 
that  the  only  action  of  Nature  is  the  action  of  God 
and  of  man ;  but  in  his  doctrine  that  without  the  per- 
sonal action  of  God  stars  do  not  swing,  and  suns  do 
not  shine,  and  rains  do  not  fall,  and  harvests  do  not 
ripen,  he  is  in  full  agreement  with  Jesus  Christ,  who 
interpreted  God's  care  of  His  creatures  as  the  care  of 
personal  superintendence  and  support. 

This  personal  care  of  God  for  His  creatures  Jesus 
declared  to  be  particular.  Two  sparrows  in  His  day 
were  sold  for  an  assarium,  a  copper  coin,  variously 
estimated  as  equivalent  to  one  or  one  and  a  half  cents 
of  our  money.  Yet  not  one  such  sparrow  ran  its 
short  life,  Jesus  said,  without  God's  knowledge  and 
notice.  On  each  sparrow's  birth  and  death  God  keeps 
a  record ;  and  while  they  live  God  provides  the  needed 
food.  Nothing  is  finer  and  more  exquisite  than  the 
garments  in  which  the  flowers  of  the  field  are  robed. 
The  colors  are  wrought  into  the  texture.  The  weav- 
ing and  the  beautifying  are  simultaneous  and  insep- 
arable processes.    The  spindles  and  the  pencils  are  out 

380 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

of  sight  and  from  out  of  the  common  soil  springs  the 
graceful  stalk,  with  the  crown  of  beauty  tipping  it. 
Thousands  of  them  are  trodden  under  foot  of  beasts 
and  men.  Yet  upon  each  of  them  Jesus  said  God  lav- 
ishes His  personal  care.  He  clothes  the  lilies  of  the 
field.  It  is  a  still  more  amazing  statement  which  Jesus 
makes  when  He  says  that  "the  very  hairs  of  your  head 
are  all  numbered'' — the  perfect  participle, literally  "have 
all  been  numbered,"  so  that  not  one  of  them  can  drop 
out  unnoticed.  That  is  something  which  no  mother 
has  ever  tried  to  do,  label  every  hair  on  the  baby's 
head  with  its  appropriate  number,  so  as  to  keep  track 
of  its  history.  But  that  is  what  Jesus  represents  God 
as  doing.  It  is  not  merely  an  act  of  omniscience  which 
He  affirms.  He  does  not  content  Himself  with  saying 
that  God  knows  how  many  are  the  hairs  of  your  head. 
He  says  that  the  hairs  have  been  numbered,  so  that 
one  cannot  be  mistaken  for  another,  so  that  the  record 
of  each  is  kept  with  scrupulous  exactness.  The  state- 
ment suggests  a  minuteness  in  the  divine  care  which  is 
at  once  amazing  and  inspiring.  The  imagination  is 
baffled,  but  the  heart  is  made  glad.  Great  and  small 
do  not  figure  in  the  divine  enrollment.  Nothing  is 
overlooked.  The  infinite  and  the  infinitesimal  equally 
command  the  divine  attention.  In  fact,  science  has 
been  unable  as  yet  to  penetrate  into  the  secret  chambers 
where  the  process  of  world  building  began,  and  where 
it  is  constantly  carried  on.  A  grain  of  sand,  a  drop 
of  water,  a  living  cell  has  a  long  history  behind  it. 
They  do  not  represent  the  initial  materials.  These 
escape  our  grasp  and  vision,  so  small  and  tenuous  are 
they.     And  upon  such  things  God  lavishes  His  wis- 

381 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

dom  and  might.  Mountain  ranges  may  be  broken  in 
outline;  coast  lines  may  be  irregular  and  shifting; 
clouds  are  proverbial  for  their  fantastic  changes ;  the 
shape  of  the  planet  in  its  elevations  and  depressions 
defies  picturing;  but  when  you  come  to  examine  the 
tiny  particles  the  most  absolute  uniformity  and  regu- 
larity are  disclosed.  Not  upon  the  broad  shoulders 
of  a  giant,  as  in  the  Greek  fable,  but  upon  these  tiny 
particles,  God  lays  the  burden  of  the  planet  and  of  the 
universe,  and  by  the  unbroken  rhythm  of  their  move- 
ment He  secures  that  universal  order  which  is  the 
music  of  the  spheres.  Nothing  is  beyond  the  range  of 
God's  personal  care.  It  is  a  very  sweet  assurance. 
We  are  so  apt  to  think  of  God  as  our  refuge  in  the 
great  crises  of  life  only,  so  that  we  have  coined  the 
proverb,  "Man's  extremity  is  God's  opportunity,"  as  if 
God  came  to  our  rescue  only  when  our  resources  have 
been  exhausted.  But  His  saving  grace  is  always  near, 
and  His  sheltering  wings  always  cover  us.  His  provi- 
dence is  in  the  little  things  which  fret  us,  things  so  in- 
significant that  we  blush  when  they  are  hinted 
at  in  the  presence  of  a  stranger ;  and  it  is  in  the  ert^ 
durance  of  these  petty  annoyances  and  trials  that  God 
would  have  us  lay  hold  upon  Him. 

The  sweetest  thing  remains  to  be  said.  It  is  the 
radiant  crown  upon  the  brow  of  the  doctrine  of  Jesus 
concerning  God's  care  of  His  creatures.  He  declares 
that  this  care  is  not  only  personal  and  particular,  but 
that  it  is  also  paternal.  When  He  speaks  of  sunshine 
and  rain  He  says,  ''Your  Father  sends  the  rain  and 
makes  the  sun  to  shine."  When  he  speaks  of  the  falling 
sparrow,  He  says :  "Your  Father  knows  and  notices  it." 

382 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

When  He  points  to  the  birds  and  the  flowers,  He 
says,  '^Your  Father  feeds  them  and  clothes  them."  It 
is  a  Father's  care  which  God  exercises.  Note,  how- 
ever, that  this  paternal  quality  in  God's  care  of  His 
creatures  is  specific,  not  general.  Jesus  says,  ''Your 
Father,"  not  'Their  Father."  God  is  not  Father  to 
birds  and  lilies,  to  clouds  and  stars.  He  is  Father 
only  to  human  souls.  The  house  is  not  the  home.  The 
home  is  constituted  by  parents  and  children.  For  them 
the  house  with  all  its  appointments  and  in  all  its  man- 
agement exists.  The  universe  is  spoken  of  by  Jesus 
as  the  house  of  God  consisting  of  many  mansions  ;  and 
in  this  house  there  is  a  household  over  which  He  pre- 
sides as  Father.  Sons  and  daughters  are  we  by  the 
free  grace  of  an  undeserved  adoption  in  Jesus  Christ, 
for  whose  good  all  things  work  together  by  an  eternal 
and  blessed  predestination.  That  man  is  the  final 
cause  of  creation  has  often  been  labeled  as  the  height 
of  absurdity — so  insignificant  is  he.  But  there  is  no 
logic  in  the  argument  from  bulk.  One  infant  soul  out- 
weighs all  the  stars. 

The  first  question  in  the  Heidelberg  Catechism  is 
this:  "What  is  thy  only  comfort  in  life  and  in  death?" 
And  the  answer  is  as  sweet  as  it  is  simple,  "That  I, 
with  body  and  soul,  both  in  life  and  in  death,  am  not 
my  own,  but  belong  to  my  faithful  Saviour,  Jesus 
Christ,  who,  with  His  precious  blood  has  fully  satis- 
fied for  all  my  sins  and  redeemed  me  from  all  the  power 
of  the  devil ;  and  so  preserves  me  that  without  the  will 
of  my  Father  in  heaven  not  a  hair  can  fall  from  my 
head ;  yea,  that  all  things  must  work  together  for  my 
salvation." 

383 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

What  Jesus  Had  to  Say  About  Prayer. 

[March  12,  1899.] 

The  importance  which  Jesus  attached  to  prayer  ap- 
pears in  the  prominence  given  to  it  in  what  is  known 
as  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount.  Sixteen  verses  are  de- 
voted to  its  exposition  in  this  discourse.  Two  of  the 
parables,  the  parable  of  the  Unjust  Judge  and  the 
parable  of  the  Pharisee  and  the  Publican,  deal  ex- 
clusively with  prayer.  Even  more  impressive  is  the 
fact  that  His  own  life  and  ministry  move  in  an  at- 
mosphere of  frequent,  protracted,  earnest,  agonizing 
prayer.  The  people  were  astonished  at  His  teaching, 
because  His  words  were  weighted  with  an  unusual 
authority  and  grace.  The  disciples,  who  witnessed 
His  private  life,  listened  in  awe  when  they  heard  Him 
pray,  and  asked  Him  to  impart  the  secret  to  them. 
And  when  He  tore  Himself  away  from  them.  He  went 
into  solitude,  not  to  sleep,  but  to  spend  the  night  in 
prayer.  He  prayed  at  His  baptism ;  and,  as  He  prayed, 
the  heavens  opened.  He  prayed  on  the  Mount  of 
Transfiguration ;  and,  as  He  prayed,  the  fashion  of 
His  countenance  was  altered,  and  His  raiment  became 
white  and  dazzling.  He  prayed  at  the  grave  of  Laz- 
arus, and  Death  released  his  captive.  He  prayed  in 
the  Garden  of  Agony,  and  so  mighty  was  the  spiritual 
wrestle  that  the  bloody  perspiration  beaded  His  brow. 
He  prayed  in  the  upper  chamber,  where  He  had  eaten 
the  Passover  for  the  last  time,  and  had  instituted  the 
Holy  Supper,  and  that  prayer  still  hushes  us  into  a 
holy  silence,  and  fills  us  with  a  strange,  deep  peace. 
The  seventeenth  chapter  of  John's  Gospel  is  the  Holy 

384 


Tablet  to  the  Memory  of  Dr.  Behrends 
IN  Central  Congre(;ational  Church. 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

of  Holies,  where  the  veil  between  earth  and  heaven  is 
held  wide  apart.  It  gives  us  a  glimpse  of  the  eternal 
and  ever  availing  intercession  of  our  Lord.  And  He 
prayed  on  the  cross,  for  others  and  for  Himself. 

Two  things  never  appear  in  the  prayers  of  Jesus, 
though  in  the  prayer  which  He  taught  His  disciples, 
as  indicating  the  spirit  and  the  scope  of  their  petitions, 
they  have  a  place.  In  the  first  place,  Jesus  never 
prayed  for  the  forgiveness  of  sins.  Confession  of 
wrong  and  penitence  are  wholly  wanting.  There  is 
no  hint  of  such  things  even  in  the  great  prayer  which 
preceded  His  arrest  and  crucifixion.  The  omission  is 
of  startling  significance.  It  can  only  mean  that  the 
consciousness  of  personal  sin  was  something  of  which 
He  was  absolutely  ignorant,  so  that  not  even  impending 
death  could  awaken  it.  He  prayed  as  a  sinless  and 
holy  soul  prays ;  and  this  makes  it  clear  that  prayer  is 
more  than  a  means  of  grace,  helpful  to  sinful  men  and 
women,  but  needless  in  a  state  of  moral  perfection. 
Jesus  did  not  pray  less,  but  more  than  His  disciples. 
Nor  did  He  cease  to  pray  when  He  rose  from  the  dead 
and  ascended  into  heaven.  He  declared  that  He  would 
continue  to  pray,  and  that  His  prayers  would  be  an- 
swered. Whatever  of  mystery  there  may  be  connected 
with  this  heavenly  intercession,  the  simple  fact  re- 
mains that  He  is  represented  as  our  Advocate  before 
the  Father,  pleading  on  our  behalf  and  praying  for  us. 
This  makes  it  clear  that  prayer  is  more  than  a  means 
of  grace  for  the  sinful  and  erring.  It  is  the  eternal 
ordinance  of  heaven  and  of  earth.  We  shall  never  cease 
to  pray. 

The   second   thing   which   is   absent   in   the   prayers 

385 

13 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

of  Jesus  is  the  petition  for  such  things  as  the  body 
needs.  He  refused  to  turn  the  stones  into  bread, 
though  He  knew  that  the  power  was  not  wanting  in 
Him.  Nor  did  He  ever  pray  for  bread.  He  has 
taught  us  to  pray  for  our  daily  bread — a  very 
modest  petition.  But  even  that  modest  petition  He 
never  once  made  His  own.  He  Hved  as  did  the  birds 
of  the  air,  who  sow  not,  neither  reap,  nor  gather  into 
barns.  All  His  prayers  move  in  the  higher  realm  of 
thanksgiving,  adoration,  equipment  for  spiritual  ser- 
vice, communion  and  intercession.  The  explana- 
tion of  this  cannot  be  found  in  His  knowledge  that 
whatever  was  needed  was  at  His  command;  for  when 
fierce  hunger  pressed  Him  in  the  desert  He  refused  to 
work  a  miracle.  He  would  take  only  what  the  Father 
was  pleased  to  give  Him,  and  in  the  Father's  way. 
The  only  explanation  is  that  faith  in  Him  was  so  abso- 
lute and  perfect,  and  His  absorption  in  His  mission 
so  complete,  that  the  only  meat  and  drink  about  which 
He  concerned  Himself  was  the  doing  of  His  Father's 
will.  We  follow  Him  afar  off,  but  we,  too,  may  take 
comfort  in  the  assurance  that  God  knows  what  we 
need,  and  that  if  we  seek  first  His  kingdom  and  His 
righteousness,  all  these  things  shall  be  added  unto  us. 
And  if  we  have  food  and  raiment  let  us  be  gratefully 
content. 

I  presume  it  will  always  impress  us  strangely  that 
Jesus  prayed ;  for  prayer  is  a  recognition  and  confes- 
sion of  dependence.  Jesus  Christ  was  and  remains 
very  God.  And  while  it  is  true  that  the  eternal  life  of 
God  is  a  plural  life,  so  that  in  the  indivisible  essence 
there  is   an   eternal   intercommunion  of   Father,   Son 

386 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

and  Holy  Ghost,  this  communion  cannot  properly  be 
regarded  as  prayer.  God  cannot  pray  to  God.  Did 
Christ,  then,  pray  simply  as  man,  the  consciousness  of 
Godhood  being  for  the  time  in  eclipse  ?  That  is  a  vio- 
lent supposition,  which  destroys  the  unity  of  His  per- 
sonal consciousness.  We  can  only  say,  and  we  must 
say,  that  He  was  the  Incarnate  Son  of  God.  God  in 
the  form  of  man,  and  that  in  consenting  to  come  into 
the  flesh  He  voluntarily  assumed  a  place  of  inde- 
pendence upon  the  absolute  Godhead,  and  so  came 
under  the  law  of  prayer.  He  not  only  could  pray ;  He 
must  pray;  because  while  He  retained  His  conscious 
Godhood,  he  retained  it  in  form  of  our  common  hu- 
man nature,  which  is  dependent.  That  conscious  de- 
pendence He  shared,  and  that  made  prayer  His  vital 
breath  and  native  air,  as  it  is  ours.  In  the  same  way 
must  we  construe  the  heavenly  intercession.  Jesus 
Christ  now  prays  for  us,  not  as  God,  nor  as  glorified 
man,  but  as  the  Incarnate  Son  of  God,  God  in  the 
form  of  exalted  and  glorified  man.  As  such  He  still 
shares  in  our  dependence,  and  that  brings  Him,  even 
in  heaven,  rmder  the  law  of  prayer.  So  that  the  inter- 
cession is  not  figurative  and  rhetorical,  but  real  and 
effective. 

Prayer  strikes  its  roots  deep  in  the  moral  economy 
of  God.  It  is  not  the  duty  and  the  privilege  of  some ; 
it  is  the  duty  and  the  privilege  of  all.  It  is  not  the  nec- 
essity of  the  few  ;  it  is  the  necessity  of  all.  The  attitude 
of  prayer  is  the  normal  attitude  of  a  dependent  and 
conscious  creation,  including  its  visible  and  anointed 
King,  who  in  His  conscious  dependence  is  also  con- 
scious of  His  eternal  Godhead.     Nor  can  prayer  ever 

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THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

cease.  It  must  be  the  eternal  speech  of  the  con- 
sciously dependent  creature  to  the  Creator  and 
Father,  to  which  He  is  eternally  responsive.  There 
will  come  a  time  when  confession  for  sin  will 
drop  out  of  our  speech.  But  thanksgiving,  adoration, 
equipment  for  spiritual  service,  communion  and  inter- 
cession, will  continue  to  be  the  normal  speech  of  the 
eternal  heavens.  And  when  we  pray  our  Father  will 
answer. 

If  now,  we  have  not  exaggerated  the  importance 
and  the  dignity  of  prayer  as  the  eternal  form  of  com- 
munion between  the  conscious  created  spirit  and  its 
Creator  and  Father,  ever  widening  in  its  scope,  ever 
deepening  in  its  tenderness  and  sweet  intimacy,  we 
cannot  address  ourselves  too  early  and  earnestly  to 
the  mastery  of  the  celestial  speech.  In  this,  as  in 
everything  else,  there  must  be  a  beginning,  and  we 
should  begin  right.  We  walk  before  we  run,  and  we 
creep  before  we  walk.  We  spell  before  we  read,  and 
we  must  learn  our  alphabet  before  we  spell.  The  al- 
phabet opens  the  door  into  the  wide  fields  of  literature, 
science  and  art.  There  is  an  alphabet  of  prayer,  and 
its  mastery  is  of  prime  importance.  Prayer  is  not  any 
and  every  kind  of  address  to  God.  It  has  its  dis- 
tinctive features,  and  these  are  sketched  with  great 
clearness  in  the  utterances  of  our  Lord.  These  are  not 
grouped  in  formal  order,  but  they  are  found  imbedded 
and  ingrained  in  the  discourses  of  Jesus.  Their  full 
treatment  would  require  a  volume,  and  the  merest 
hints  must  here  suffice. 

Jesus  always  assumes  that  prayer  is  the  natural 
speech  of  the  soul.     It  is  more  than  a  duty,  more  than 

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THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

a  privilege ;  it  is  a  fundamental  and  universal  neces- 
sity. Without  it  the  soul  is  dumb.  Man  seeks  God 
and  God  seeks  man ;  therein  lies  the  eternal  necessity 
of  prayer.  Must  not  my  lips  speak  to  their  Maker? 
Must  not  my  ear  listen  to  Him  who  formed  it?  And 
He  that  made  the  ear,  shall  not  He  hear?  He  who 
made  my  lips,  shall  He  not  speak?  Dr.  McCosh 
summed  it  all  up  in  two  short  sentences  as  sweet  as 
they  are  simple,  when,  speaking  of  prayer,  he  said: 
"I  pray,  God  hears ;  God  speaks,  I  listen."  That  tells 
the  whole  story. 

Natural  speech  is  always  simple  and  direct.  Hence 
Jesus  warns  us  against  needless  repetitions,  against 
much  speaking,  against  pomposity  of  manner  and  lan- 
guage. That  is  always  offensive,  and  defeats  its  end, 
even  between  man  and  man.  Sincere  speech  is  always 
simple.  It  studies  short,  plain  sentences.  It  does  not 
deal  in  superlatives.  It  discards  artifice  and  ornament. 
And  that  is  the  only  speech  to  which  God  gives  an  at- 
tentive ear.  Any  other  is  hypocrisy,  and  hypocrisy 
God  hates.  In  the  second  place,  natural  speech  is 
earnest  as  well  as  sincere.  All  sincerity  vibrates  with 
earnestness.  For  sincerity,  as  Whately  tells  us,  not 
only  means  "reality  of  conviction,"  which  may  be  false, 
but  ^'unbiased  conviction,"  an  impartial  conviction,  un- 
influenced by  wishes  or  passions.  Such  a  conviction 
has  grip.  The  whole  soul  enters  into  it.  And  such 
earnestness,  in  the  third  place,  inspires  persistence. 
It  is  not  easily  discouraged.  It  presses  its  suit.  It  will 
not  be  denied.  Hence  our  Lord's  parable  of  the  Un- 
just Judge,  who  yielded  to  the  importunity  of  the 
widow.     She  knew  that  her  cause  was  just,  and  she 

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THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

was  determined  to  have  justice.  Hence,  too,  the  pres- 
ent tense  in  those  sayings  of  Jesns:  "Ask  and  it  shall 
be  given  you;  for  every  one  that  asketh  receiveth." 
The  asking  is  continuous,  repeated  until  the  request  is 
granted.  Prayer  is  natural,  earnest,  frequent,  untir- 
ing speech. 

When  we  turn  our  attention  to  the  suppliant  him- 
self, certain  things  are  emphasized  as  indispensable 
to  prayer.  He  who  prays  is  absolutely  dependent  upon 
Him  to  whom  he  prays.  That  should  make  him  mod- 
est in  his  petitions,  and  habitually  grateful.  He  who 
prays  is  ignorant,  does  not  know  what  is  best  for  him ; 
and  that  should  make  him  humble  and  submissive,  ex- 
alting God's  will  above  his  own,  and  doing  this  gladly. 
He  who  prays  is  a  sinner,  and  that  should  make  him 
penitent.  Yet  he  who  prays  is  also  by  the  grace  of 
adoption  in  Jesus  Christ  a  child  of  God  and  an  heir  of 
glory,  and  that  should  make  him  bold,  asking  great 
things,  and  expecting  them.  Prayer  is  grateful,  mod- 
est, humble,  penitent,  bold  speech.  In  prayer,  too,  we 
are  reminded  that  we  occupy  a  common  place  with  our 
fellow  men.  The  plural  number  must  not  drop  out  of 
our  speech.  If  we  are  selfish,  God  is  not.  He  is  no  re- 
specter of  persons.  He  does  not  share  our  jealousies 
and  hatreds,  and  they  are  offensive  to  Him.  He  will 
not  forgive  us,  if  we  do  not  from  the  heart  forgive 
our  enemies.  Therefore  we  must  pray  for  them,  too, 
and  so  intercession  for  all  men  must  enter  into  our 
speech  with  God.  Prayer  summons  us  to  an  exalted 
state  of  mind.  It  involves  gratitude,  sincerity,  earnest- 
ness, persistence,  humility,  submission,  penitence,  bold- 
ness, comprehensive  charity. 

390 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

The  character  of  Him  to  whom  wo  must  pray  must 
also  be  taken  into  account.  It  is  His  favor  we  seek, 
not  the  applause  of  men.  Hence  we  must  pray,  not  to 
be  seen  or  heard  of  others,  standing  apart  and 
attracting  attention,  but  speaking  to  our  God  in 
secret.  He  is  infinitely  exalted,  and  therefore  our 
speech  should  be  profoundly  reverent.  There  should 
be  frankness  without  flippancy  and  offensive  famil- 
iarity. Our  place  is  at  the  foot  of  God's  throne.  He 
is  infinite  in  wisdom,  power,  goodness  and  grace. 
That  commands  and  justifies  the  most  absolute  confi- 
dence in  Him  and  surrender  to  His  sovereign  will. 
Summing  it  all  up,  prayer  involves  gratitude,  sin- 
cerity, earnestness,  persistence,  humiUty,  submission, 
penitence,  boldness,  comprehensive  charity,  secrecy, 
faith. 

There  is,  too,  a  natural  and  necessary  order  in 
the  things  for  which  we  pray.  Nothing  is  excluded. 
We  may  and  we  ought  to  carry  everything  to  God  in 
prayer.  All  our  cares  we  may  and  we  ought  to  cast 
upon  Him.  But  all  things  are  not  of  equal  importance. 
The  life  is  more  than  meat  and  the  body  than  raiment. 
Bread  we  need,  but  we  do  not  live  by  bread  alone. 
The  immortal  soul  should  command  our  chief  attention. 
We  should  be  infinitely  more  anxious  to  be  saved  from 
sin  than  from  poverty,  sickness,  suffering  and  death. 
Righteousness  is  our  supreme  need  and  the  supreme 
need  of  the  world.  Therefore  our  Lord  summons  us  to 
pray  that  the  Kingdom  of  God  may  come,  and  that  His 
will  may  be  done  on  earth  as  it  is  in  heaven.  For  the 
answer  to  that  prayer  includes  every  other  blessing. 

It  is  a  common  complaint  that  many  earnest  pray- 

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THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

ers  are  unanswered.  It  is  pertinent  to  ask  whether 
the  natural  and  necessary  conditions  have  entered  into 
such  prayers.  He  who  scatters  his  seed  upon  the 
ocean  has  no  right  to  complain  that  he  does  not  reap  a 
harvest.  There  is  such  a  thing  as  a  law  of  prayer. 
The  conditions  must  be  complied  with ;  and  these  con- 
ditions, as  we  have  seen,  are  not  arbitrary,  but  grow 
out  of  the  necessities  of  the  case.  In  true  prayer,  man 
must  understand  himself,  and  man  must  understand 
his  God.  He  must  ask  for  what  is  really  needed,  with 
comprehensive  charity  for  all  men,  and  with  absolute 
confidence  in  God.  Prayer  does  not  lend  itself  to  a 
selfish  and  self-seeking  soul.  It  is  the  highest  speech 
of  which  the  soul  is  capable.  In  it  the  heart  unburdens 
itself.  In  it  we  rush  for  shelter  under  the  divine 
wings.  In  it  the  perfect  will  of  God  broods  over  our 
own,  quieting  our  restlessness  and  impatience,  impart- 
ing to  us  the  peace  in  which  He  dwells.  If  we  pray 
thus,  the  answer  will  come  before  our  lips  have  ended 
their  appeal.     God  hears ;  God  speaks ;  let  us  listen  ! 


What  Jesus  Had  to  Say  About  Religion. 

[March  19,   1899.] 

The  word  religion  has  been  variously  defined. 
Some  have  made  it  a  form  of  philosophy,  a  purely 
intellectual  way  of  looking  at  things  and  estimating 
their  value.  Others  have  reduced  it  to  the  sense  of  ab- 
solute dependence,  having  its  sole  and  proper  sphere 
in  the  feelings.  A  third  class  identifies  it  with  mo- 
rality or  moral  action,  and  limits  it  to  right  conduct. 

392 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

Every  one  of  these  definitions  must  be  rejected,  for 
the  simple  reason  that  religion  is  neither  exclusively 
intellectual  nor  exclusively  emotional  nor  exclusively 
practical.  It  claims  and  exercises  sovereignty  over  the 
whole  man.  It  shapes  the  convictions,  directs  the 
emotions  and  controls  the  will.  Our  definition,  there- 
fore, must  state  with  clearness  what  it  is  in  religion 
which  assumes  control  in  the  sphere  of  thought,  feel- 
ing and  action.  Here,  again,  the  etymology  of  the 
word  does  not  help  us.  Some  trace  it  to  a  word  which 
means  "to  bind  back,"  but  leaving  us  in  doubt  as  to 
what  it  is  to  which  we  are  bound.  Others  trace  it  to 
a  word  which  means  "to  read  again,  to  ponder,"  and  so 
make  it  equivalent  to  serious  reflection.  There  is  com- 
mon agreement  that  among  the  Romans  and  the 
Greeks  the  word  religion  meant  "religious  worship  or 
usage,"  the  faithful  observance  of  certain  rites  and 
ceremonies  in  which  the  gods  were  honored.  In  the 
New  Testament  the  word  is  found  only  three  times, 
once  in  Acts  and  twice  in  the  Epistle  of  James.  So 
far  as  we  know  Jesus  never  used  it.  Paul,  in  his  de- 
fense before  Agrippa,  declared  that  he  had  lived  be- 
fore his  conversion  as  a  Pharisee,  after  the  straitest 
sect  of  his  religion,  using  the  word  in  its  ordinary 
sense  of  religious  worship  or  usage,  the  usage  which 
the  ceremonial  law  prescribed.  James  contrasts  a  vain 
religion  with  a  pure  and  undefiled.  He  who  does  not 
bridle  his  tongue  may  seem  to  be  religious,  but  is  not. 
True  religion  does  more.  It  keeps  a  man  unspotted 
from  the  world.  It  urges  to  and  results  in  moral 
puritv.  And  it  includes  visiting  the  fatherless  and 
widows  in  their  affliction,  compassionate  treatment  of 

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THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

the  helpless  and  the  sorrowing.  But  the  crowning  state- 
ment of  James  is  that  this  is  religion  before  God  and 
the  Father ;  that  is,  in  the  judgment  of  Him  who  as 
God  is  holy  and  supreme,  and  as  Father  loves  all  who 
belong  to  His  household.  Because  He  is  God  we  must 
keep  ourselves  unspotted  from  the  world.  And  be- 
cause He  is  Father  we  must  visit  the  fatherless  and 
widows  in  their  affliction.  True  religion,  therefore, 
according  to  James,  is  not  determined  by  usage,  but 
by  what  God  is,  by  His  supreme  and  holy  Fatherhood. 
It  is  a  life  which  in  all  its  spheres  is  shaped  by  pro- 
found and  habitual  reverence  for  what  God  is  and  de- 
mands. 

As  thus  interpreted,  while  Jesus  never  seems  to 
have  used  the  word  religion,  and  perhaps  intention- 
ally avoided  it  because  in  common  usage  a  false  con- 
ception was  associated  with  it.  He  had  much  to  say 
about  it.  Religion,  as  reverence,  profound,  absorb- 
ing, habitual,  for  what  God  is  and  requires,  is 
the  equivalent  of  Faith ;  and  upon  Faith  Jesus  laid 
the  imperial  emphasis.  Without  Faith  it  is  impossi- 
ble to  please  God.  Sacrifices,  alms,  prayers  are 
worthless  and  offensive  without  it.  It  is  the  publican 
who  stands  afar  off,  confesses  his  unworthiness  and 
appeals  to  the  mercy  of  God,  who  goes  to  His  house 
pardoned  and  adopted.  It  is  the  sinner  who  repents, 
over  whom  there  is  joy  in  heaven  and  in  the  heart  of 
God.  No  temple  is  needed  to  give  dignity  to  worship. 
The  Father  seeks  only,  such  as  worship  Him  in  spirit 
and  in  truth. 

There  are  three  strands  in  this  mystic  cord  of  re- 
ligion binding  the  soul  to  God,  and  God  alone.     It  is 

394 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

clear,  in  the  first  place,  that  Jesus  regarded  religion  as 
a  personal  relation.  It  is  not  an  affair  of  the  com- 
munity or  of  the  church.  That  was  the  pagan  idea; 
religion  consisted  in  the  observance  of  certain  usages 
prescribed  by  the  priesthood.  Personal  reverence  had 
nothing  to  do  with  it.  The  Pharisees  identified  re- 
ligion with  obedience  to  the  traditions  of  the  elders. 
Jesus  denounced  them  as  whited  sepulchers,  full  of 
hypocrisy,  shutting  and  bolting  the  doors  into  the 
Kingdom  of  Heaven,  tithing  mint,  anise  and  cummin, 
but  making  void  the  commandment  of  God.  The  ve- 
hement protest  of  Jesus  was  not  needed.  Paul  re- 
newed the  battle  in  every  community  where  he 
preached  the  gospel,  and  his  most  venomous  antagon- 
ists were  professedly  Christian  disciples.  The  pagan 
idea  crowded  the  personal  element  in  religion  to  the 
wall.  A  cold,  formal  ceremonialism  swept  through 
the  Greek,  the  Roman  and  the  African  Church.  Re- 
ligion became  obedience  to  regulations,  enacted  and 
enforced  by  the  priesthood.  Luther  in  Germany,  Cal- 
vin and  Zwingle  in  Switzerland,  Wesley  in  England, 
reafiirmed  the  doctrine  of  Paul  and  of  Jesus.  Justifi- 
cation by  faith  became  the  watchword  of  the  new  era, 
a  theological  phrase  for  religion  as  exclusively  personal 
reverence  for  God,  confidence  in  Him,  obedience  to 
Him.  And  even  now  in  Protestant  lands  and  churches 
the  pagan  idea  of  religion  finds  advocates.  The  great 
school  of  Ritzschl  makes  the  Christian  community  the 
organ  of  saving  grace.  It  denies  personal  communion 
with  God.  It  makes  the  individual  dependent  upon 
the  church.  Incorporation  into  it  is  adoption. 
Against  such  a  debasement  of  the  personal  element  in 

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THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

religion  we  must  continue  to  protest.  Its  root  is  per- 
sonal devotion  to  God.  That  creates  the  church,  that 
makes  its  sacraments  means  of  grace,  that  gives  to 
Christian  customs  and  institutions  their  beauty  and 
strength.  They  are  all  the  fruits  of  faith ;  and  as  such 
they  minister  to  faith — that  is,  to  personal  reverence 
for  God — confidence  in  Him  and  obedience  to  Him. 
No  altar,  no  priesthood,  no  ancient  and  venerable  rites, 
mediate  between  our  souls  and  God.  We  have  access 
by  faith  into  the  grace  wherein  we  stand;  and,  there- 
fore, the  place  of  secret  prayer  is  the  holiest  sanc- 
tuary. 

It  is  equally  clear  that  Jesus  regarded  religion  as 
intensely  spiritual,  as  working  from  within.  It  is  the 
hidden  leaven,  it  is  the  buried  but  living  mustard  seed, 
it  is  not  outward  reformation  but  inward  regeneration. 
It  is  a  birth  from  above,  making  all  things  new  by  the 
mastery  which  God  secures  in  the  fontal  depths  of  our 
being.  All  spiritual  acts  are  and  must  be  personal 
acts.  But  all  personal  acts  are  not  spiritual.  They 
may  be  carnal.  Only  such  personal  acts  are  spiritual 
which  find  their  origin,  continuance,  law  and  end  in 
the  domain  of  spiritual  life.  And  spiritual  life  is  uni- 
formly declared  to  be  by  our  Lord  and  by  Paul  a  de- 
rived and  imparted  life.  The  natural  man,  the  soul 
closed  against  divine  influences,  is  carnal ;  such  a  soul 
cannot  understand  the  things  of  God,  as  the  eye  can- 
not see  when  the  lids  are  closed  upon  it.  The  eye  sees 
only  when  it  receives  the  light.  And  the  soul  sees  only 
when  it  receives  and  lives  in  the  light  which  God  is. 
The  point  in  all  this  is  that  just  as  in  prayer  man 
speaks  to  a  listening  and  answering  God,  so  in  true 

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THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

religion,  what  man  renders  to  God,  whether  in  wor- 
ship, or  conduct,  or  service,  is  rendered  to  Him  solely 
in  view  of  what  He  is  and  lias  revealed  Himself  to  be. 
Religion  lives,  moves  and  has  its  being  in  the  super- 
natural and  tlie  eternal.  It  is  walking  with  God. 
We  are  personal  beings.  But  we  are  not  self-centered. 
beings.  God  alone  is  self-centered.  In  Him  alone  are 
the  sources  of  wisdom,  power,  blessedness  and  glory. 
We  bear  His  likeness.  We  are  capable  of  fellowship, 
with  Him.  But  in  fellowship  there  is  mutual  giving 
and  receiving.  There  must  be  two  to  constitute  a  fel- 
lowship, and  in  fellowship  both  must  be  active.  No 
account  of  religion,  therefore,  can  be  correct  which 
does  not  recognize  the  divine  element  in  it,  and  give 
to  that  the  original  and  supreme  place.  The  spirit  in 
man  is  that  which  is  deepest  or  highest  in  him;  it 
makes  no  difference  which  superlative  is  used.  It  is 
that  which  is  central  in  him,  the  point  at  which  God 
enters  into  fellowship  with  him;  and  only  as  God  is 
freely  and  gladly  received  at  this  center  of  our  being 
does  true  religion  come  to  its  birth.  Hence  Jesus  sums 
up  our  whole  duty  in  two  words :  "Follow  Me." 

I  cannot  follow  Christ  unless  I  have  absolute  con- 
fidence in  Him.  And  I  cannot  follow  Him  unless  I 
keep  Him  constantly  in  sight.  Religion  is  a  personal 
following;  it  is  a  spiritual  following,  and  it  is  also 
a  rational  following.  Jesus  tells  me  that  I  must 
worship  God  in  spirit  and  in  truth.  The  rational 
element  cannot  be  eliminated  from  true  religion.  It 
is  not  mysticism;  it  is  not  ecstasy;  it  is  not  vague 
sentiment.  Eternal  life  roots  itself  in  the  knowledge 
of    God    which    Jesus     Christ     imparts.      Our     con- 

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THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

victions  have  a  good  deal  to  do  with  our  rehgion. 
Our  reverence  for  God  will  depend  upon  what  we  be- 
lieve Him  to  be.  Our  penitence  will  depend  upon 
what  we  regard  sin  to  be.  And  so  through  the  whole 
range  of  what  we  call  religion;  it  will  be  shaped  and 
colored  by  our  theology.  For  as  a  man  thinketh  in  his 
heart,  so  is  he.  I  am  not  speaking  of  a  man's  fancies 
or  speculations.  I  am  speaking  of  his  convictions.  If 
he  has  no  theological  convictions  he  can  have  no  re- 
ligion. And  his  religion  will  derive  its  vigor  from  his 
theological  convictions.  For  theology  is  simply  the 
doctrine  of  God,  and  in  a  true  knowledge  of  God  re- 
ligion grounds  itself.  There  may  be  call  for  a  simpler 
theology,  for  a  theology  stripped  of  scholastic  refine- 
ments. But  the  simplest  theology  will  be  massive. 
To  affirm  the  existence  of  God  as  eternal,  omniscient, 
omnipotent,  omnipresent,  merciful  and  holy ;  to  recog- 
nize the  majesty  and  sacredness  of  His  law ;  to  confess 
the  mystery  of  the  incarnation,  and  that  He  who  be- 
came incarnate  redeemed  us  through  sacrifice  and  suf- 
fering; to  believe  that  He  who  died  rose  again, 
ascended  on  high  and  intercedes  for  us ;  to  accept  His 
authority  as  binding,  and  plan  for  the  world's  conver- 
sion to  His  Gospel ;  to  affirm  duty  and  immortality — 
these  elementary  convictions  constitute  a  very  large 
outline  of  knowledge,  and  he  who  has  a  firm  grasp 
upon  them  is  a  good  deal  of  a  theologian.  Nor  can 
such  convictions  be  regarded  as  speculative  and  un- 
fruitful in  practical  results.  They  are  full  of  life  and 
power,  urging  to  high  endeavor,  provoking  patience, 
courage  and  hopefulness.  They  who  believe  in  such  a 
God,  and  wait  upon  Him,  renew  their  strength  as  the 

398 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

eagles.  They  run,  and  are  not  weary ;  they  walk,  and 
do  not  faint.  The  floods  do  not  overwhelm  them ; 
furnaces  of  fire  do  not  harm  them.  They  glory  in 
tribulation  and  they  triumph  in  death.  Their  religion 
is  their  constant  joy,  because  it  is  rooted  in  truth. 
They  know  whom  they  have  believed.  They  have 
built  their  house  upon  the  rock,  and  it  cannot  fall. 
They  know  upon  whose  palms  their  names  have  been 
graven,  and  from  the  gentle  clasp  of  those  hands  none 
can  tear  them.  It  is  all  condensed  in  the  opening- 
clauses  of  the  Apostles'  Creed;  a  massive,  daring, 
fruitful  and  inspiring  theology:  "I  believe  in  God  the 
Father  Almighty,  maker  of  heaven  and  earth ;  and  in 
Jesus  Christ,  His  only  Son,  our  Lord."  That  doctrine 
of  God  was  all  the  early  Christian  Church  meant  by 
theology.  We  have  made  the  word  to  cover  many 
things  that  have  no  right  to  be  sheltered  under  it,  until 
with  many  it  has  become  a  synonym  for  metaphysical 
hairsplittings  and  unprofitable  discussions,  but  theol- 
ogy is  properly  the  doctrine  of  God,  and  only  that; 
the  summing  up  in  clear  thought,  the  grasping  in  firm 
convictions,  the  maintenance  in  full  assurance  of  what 
God  has  revealed  Himself  to  be,  in  the  works  of  His 
hands  and  in  the  Christ  of  His  anointing.  We  shall 
have  the  religion  of  Jesus  when  we  have  the  theology 
of  Jesus.  When  we  think  of  God  as  Jesus  did  we 
shall  worship  God  as  Jesus  did,  in  spirit  and  in  truth. 
And  we  shall  obey  the  voice  which  was  heard  at  the 
baptism  and  upon  the  Mount  of  Transfiguration,  "This 
is  My  beloved  Son  in  whom  T  am  well  pleased  ;  hear 
ye  Him." 


399 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

What  Jesus  Had  to  say  About  the  Sabbath. 

[March  26,  1899.] 

The  most  superficial  reading  of  the  gospels  makes 
it  plain  that  from  the  very  beginning  of  His  public 
ministry  Jesus  encountered  the  bitter  hostility  of  the 
religious  teachers.  Scribes  and  Pharisees  sneered  at 
Him,  slandered  Him,  denounced  Him,  and  finally 
compassed  His  death.  The  common  people  heard  Him 
gladly,  to  be  in  their  turn  cursed  as  ignorant  of  the 
law.  We  look  in  vain  for  any  theological  divergence 
as  an  explanation  of  this  bitter  and  implacable  hos- 
tility. Both  parties  accepted  the  divine  authority  of 
the  Old  Testament  as  a  revelation  of  saving  truth. 
But  between  Jesus  and  His  opponents  there  was  a 
radical  difference  as  to  the  real  nature  of  piety.  He 
insisted  that  it  was  personal  and  spiritual,  manifesting 
itself  in  supreme  love  for  God  and  fraternal  love  for 
all  men.  Religion  with  Him  meant  practical  recogni- 
tion of  the  Fatherhood  of  God,  and  the  brotherhood  of 
man.  Ceremonial  observances  and  regulations  were 
treated  as  secondary  matters.  In  this  contention,  Jesus 
was  not  entirely  without  sympathizers  and  supporters, 
even  among  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees.  But  for  the 
greater  part  the  religious  teachers  made  religion  to 
consist  in  the  observance  of  prescribed  rites.  It 
is  impossible  to  exaggerate  the  extreme  to  which  this 
tendency  has  been  carried,  and  how  burdensome  its 
exactions  had  become.  The  world  has  never  known 
a  religious  formalism  so  rigid  and  absolute  as  that  of 
the  Pharisees.  Of  its  regulations,  Edersheim  says: 
"They  provided  for  every  possible  and  impossible  case, 

400 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

entered  into  every  detail  of  private,  family  and 
public  life,  and  with  iron  logic,  unbending  rigor  and 
most  minute  analysis,  pursued  and  dominated  man, 
turn  whither  he  might,  laying  on  him  a  yoke  which 
was  truly  unbearable."  These  ''traditions  of  the  elders" 
were  invested  with  a  higher  authority  than  the  Scrip- 
tures, and  to  disregard  them  was  declared  to  be  "worse 
than  idolatry,  uncleanness,  or  the  shedding  of  blood." 
They  enjoined  the  most  minute,  painful,  punctilious 
observance  of  every  external  legal  ordinance.  The> 
left  the  inner  man  untouched.  What  he  was  to  believe 
and  feel  was  of  no  great  consequence.  He  might  hold 
and  champion  any  views,  as  long  as  he  adhered  in  prac- 
tice to  the  traditional  ordinances.  Here,  as  Edersheim 
says,  'Sve  mark  the  fundamental  difference  between  the 
teaching  of  Jesus  and  Rabbinism.  The  difference  was 
one  of  fundamental  principle,  and  not  merely  of  devel- 
opment, form  or  detail.  One  developed  the  law  in  its 
outward  direction,  as  ordinances  and  commandments ; 
the  other  in  its  inward  application,  as  life  and  liberty. 
Rabbinism  occupied  one  pole.  The  teaching  of  Jesus  oc- 
cupied the  other  pole.  Thus  as  between  the  two,  there  is 
a  total  divergence  of  fundamental  principle,  so  that 
comparison  between  them  is  not  possible.  There  is  ab- 
solute contrariety."  It  is  needless  to  prove  that  in  this 
fierce  conflict  with  the  advocates  of  traditional  re- 
ligion, Jesus  recovered  the  true  religion  of  the  Old 
Testament.  Moses  and  the  prophets  were  His  allies. 
The  Scribes  had  made  void  the  law  by  their  traditions. 
"Under  a  load  of  outward  ordinances  and  observ- 
ances its  spirit  had  been  crushed.  The  religion  as  well 
as  the  hope  of  the  Old  Testament  had  become  exter- 

401 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIE6 

nalized.''  Jesus  recovered  them  both,  by  laying  the  ax 
at  the  root  of  the  tree,  and  making  piety  a  matter  of 
the  heart,  intensely  personal  and  spiritual,  bearing 
fruit  in  love,  love  to  God  and  love  to  man.  One  sen- 
tence embodies  the  sovereign  principle,  to  v^hich  he 
subjected  every  dispute:  ^'It  is  the  spirit  that  quicken- 
eth,  the  flesh  profiteth  nothing."  Hence,  to  eat  with 
unvi^ashed  hands  was  no  sin.  The  purification  pre- 
scribed by  the  elders  possessed  no  binding  authority. 
There  was  no  religion  in  their  observance.  The  things 
by  which  men  are  defiled  come  out  of  their  hearts.  To 
us  this  is  commonplace.  It  belongs  to  the  alphabet  of 
common  sense.  But  when  Jesus  announced  it  the  doc- 
trine was  more  revolutionary  than  Luther's  mainten- 
ance that  men  are  justified  by  faith  and  by  faith  only. 
In  both  cases  the  priestly  party  clearly  perceived  that 
their  authority  was  seriously  and  permanently  menaced. 
There  could  be  no  compromise  upon  such  an  issue ; 
unconditional  surrender,  by  the  one  or  the  other,  was 
the  only  way  out. 

The  general  controversy,  at  a  very  early  day,  as- 
sumed a  special  form.  It  reached  its  acute  stage  in  the 
dispute  as  to  how  the  Sabbath  should  be  kept,  and  by 
what  general  principle  its  observance  should  be  regu- 
lated. How  the  dispute  first  began  it  is  impossible 
definitely  to  determine.  We  do  know  that  in  the  sec- 
ond year  of  the  public  ministry  of  Jesus  it  broke  out 
in  Galilee  and  in  Judea.  In  Galilee  Capernaum  was 
the  storm  center.  Passing  through  its  adjoining  corn- 
field, in  the  time  of  harvest,  on  a  Sabbath,  the  disciples, 
being  hungry,  plucked  the  ears  ;  and,  rubbing  them  be- 
tween their  hands,  they  ate  the  winnowed  grain.    This 

402 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

made  them  guilty  of  a  double  sin ;  the  sin  of  reaping 
and  the  sin  of  threshing  on  the  Sabbath.  On  a  subse- 
quent Sabbath,  and  in  the  synagogue,  Jesus  healed  a 
man  with  a  withered  hand,  who  was  present.  That 
filled  the  Pharisees  with  fierce  anger  and  united  them 
in  the  determination  to  get  rid  of  Him.  In  Judea  Je- 
rusalem was  the  storm  center.  Jesus  performed  a 
notable  miracle  upon  a  poor  cripple,  whose  infirmity 
was  of  thirty-eight  years'  standing,  and  who  seems  to 
have  been  as  friendless  as  he  was  helpless.  Jesus  bade 
him  rise,  take  up  his  bed  and  walk.  It  was  the  Sab- 
bath, and  the  man's  obedience  created  a  public  scandal, 
against  which  the  Jews  protested.  The  controversy 
which  followed  became  so  heated  that  Jesus  withdrew 
Himself  from  Jerusalem  for  a  time ;  and  when  He  did 
return  it  was  resumed  with  such  angry  bitterness  on 
the  part  of  the  Jews  that  they  took  up  stones  to  cast 
at  Him.  He  slipped  away  from  them,  only  soon  after 
to  restore  sight  to  a  man  who  had  been  blind  from  birth, 
performing  that  miracle  of  mercy  also  on  the  Sabbath,  a 
fact  to  which  the  Pharisees  confidently  appealed  as 
proving  that  Jesus  was  a  deceiver  and  blasphemer.  We 
learn  from  the  record,  therefore,  that  the  immediate 
occasion  of  the  deadly  hostility  of  the  Pharisee  against 
Jesus  was  His  attitude  on  the  question  of  Sabbath  ob- 
servance. 

Edersheim,  in  his  ''Life  and  Times  of  Jesus,"  gives  a 
long  chapter  on  the  ordinances  and  law  of  the  Sabbath 
as  laid  down  in  the  Misnah  and  in  the  Jerusalem  Tal- 
mud. It  is  mournful  reading.  Its  puerilities  exceed 
belief.  In  no  less  than  twenty-four  chapters  matters  are 
seriously  discussed  which  one  would  scarcely  imagine  a 

403 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

sane  intellect  would  seriously  entertain.  Through  64 >^ 
folio  columns  in  the  Jerusalem  and  156  double  pages  of 
folio  in  the  Babylon  Talmud  does  the  enumeration  and 
discussion  of  possible  cases  drag  on.  And  yet  in  all 
these  wearisome  details  there  is  not  a  single  trace  of 
anything  spiritual,  not  a  word  even  to  suggest  higher 
thoughts  of  God's  holy  day  and  its  observance.  The 
trivialities  are  not  worth  reproducing.  Jesus  did  not 
deign  to  take  any  notice  of  them.  He  broke  them  all 
down  by  defending  His  disciples  for  what  they  had 
done  and  by  working  miracles  forbidden  by  the  tra- 
ditional regulations.  He  claimed  that  the  Sabbath  was 
not  violated  by  eating  when  one  was  hungry,  thus 
sweeping  away  at  one  stroke  all  the  dietary  regulations 
of  the  rabbis.  He  declared  that  it  was  lawful  to  do 
good  on  the  Sabbath  day  and  to  save  life.  He  gath- 
ered up  the  whole  matter  in  two  pithy  sentences :  "The 
Sabbath  was  made  for  man,  not  man  for  the  Sabbath," 
and  "The  Son  of  Man  is  Lord  also  of  the  Sabbath." 
The  argument  is  very  simple  and  very  radical.  The 
weekly  day  of  rest  and  worship  is  demanded  by  the 
highest  good  of  man,  and  inasmuch  as  Jesus  is  the 
Son  of  Man  the  best  interpreter  of  what  man  is  and 
what  man  needs.  His  use  of  the  Sabbath  is  that  which 
corresponds  to  the  divine  intention. 

It  is  plain,  from  this  statement  of  the  case,  that 
Jesus  recognized  the  binding  authority  of  the  fourth 
commandment.  He  did  not  work  upon  the  Sabbath. 
Luke  tells  us  that  when  Jesus  visited  Nazareth  for 
the  first  time  after  His  baptism  He  went  into  the  syna- 
gogue on  the  Sabbath  day,  "as  His  custom  was."  That 
had  been  His  habit  and  He  adhered  to  it.     The  Sab- 

404 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

bath  always  found  Him  in  the  synagogue.  He  was  a 
regular  church-goer,  empty  as  the  services  were.  He 
did  not  draw  men  away  from  them,  nor  did  He  ab- 
sent Himself.  There  is  no  record  of  His  ever  having 
offered  any  sacrifices  in  the  temple,  nor  of  His  en- 
couraging others  to  do  so ;  but  the  synagogue  He  fre- 
quented with  careful  regularity.  We  can  imagine 
how  sorely  He  must  have  been  tried  by  many  a  ser- 
vice, especially  during  those  years  in  Nazareth  when 
He  was  debarred  from  speaking.  But  the  divine  au- 
thority of  the  Sabbath  was  all  the  time  freely  recog- 
nized and  heartily  respected,  not  only  as  a  day  of  rest, 
but  as  a  day  of  worship.  He  remembered  it,  to  keep 
it  holy. 

It  is  equally  clear  that  He  regardeth  the  self-con- 
stituted guardians  of  the  Sabbath  as  its  greatest  foes. 
They  made  it  an  intolerable  burden  to  the  people. 
They  made  it  a  gloomy  prison,  not  the  radiant,  roomy 
palace  of  the  King;  just  as  they  had  converted  the 
house  of  prayer  into  a  den  of  thieves.  The  abuses 
were  not  attacked  in  detail.  They  grew  out  of  a  com- 
mon root  and  that  root  Jesus  tore  up  with  ruthless  yet 
loving  hands.  He  made  the  Sabbath  a  day  of  life  and 
liberty.  It  was,  in  His  view,  God's  day  with  man  and 
man's  day  with  God,  the  day  of  the  Father  with  His 
children,  when  all  ceremonial  regulations  were  an  im- 
pertinence. It  was  made  for  man,  not  man  for  it. 
As  made  for  man  its  observance  is  a  high  and  sacred 
duty,  its  maintenance  a  serious  and  solemn  obliga- 
tion. To  part  with  it,  to  neglect  it,  to  abridge  or  deny 
its  use  to  others,  is  to  suffer  in  one's  inheritance.  It 
is  the  badge  of  man's  freedom,  of  his  divine  sonship. 

405 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

But  he  was  not  made  for  it,  and  therefore  no  hard 
and  fast  regulations  can  be  laid  down  for  its  observ- 
ance. Jesus  leveled  the  whole  elaborate  Rabbinical 
structure  and  he  reared  nothing  in  its  place.  He  left 
every  man  free  to  determine  for  himself  the  method 
of  Sabbath  observance. 

This  was  certainly  audacious.  It  might  seem  as  if 
so  radical  a  method  could  result  only  in  the  abandon- 
ment of  the  old  Sabbath  observance,  as  if  the  day  must 
go  down  with  the  traditional  ceremonial  observance. 
And  that  is  what  actually  happened.  Christianity 
could  not  appropriate  the  Jewish  Sabbath,  not  even 
the  day  of  the  week.  The  new  wine  could  not  be  kept 
in  the  old  bottles.  We  cannot  trace  the  change  which 
substituted  the  first  day  of  the  week  for  the  seventh. 
It  was  natural  that  the  day  on  which  Jesus  rose  from 
the  dead  should  become  a  memorial  day.  But  it  was 
inevitable  that  a  day  out  of  which  all  life  and  joy  had 
been  crushed  by  puerile  and  offensive  legislation 
should  surrender  its  scepter  of  authority  to  another 
day  in  which  the  freedom  of  Christ  should  come  to  the 
throne.  And  in  this  matter,  too,  the  liberty  which 
Jesus  advocated  comes  to  its  rights.  For,  so  long  as 
one  day  in  seven  is  kept  as  a  day  of  rest  and  worship, 
the  divine  authority  of  the  Sabbath  is  recognized  and 
honored. 

And,  finally,  the  words  of  Jesus,  in  which,  as  the 
Son  of  Man,  he  claims  lordship  also  of  the  Sabbath, 
provide  us  with  the  law  of  its  observance.  Our  lib- 
erty is  not  license.  The  day  of  rest  is  not  ours  to  use 
as  we  please.  Christ  alone  is  Lord  of  the  Sabbath. 
It  is,  therefore,  our  day  of  rest  in  His  service.     We 

406 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

may  use  it,  we  ought  to  use  it,  as  He  used  it.  We. 
too,  are  summoned  to  consecrate  its  hours  to  the  wor- 
ship of  God  and  to  the  doing  of  good,  as  did  He.  It 
is  a  simple  rule,  which  will  not  and  cannot  secure  rigid 
uniformity  in  the  observance.  No  one  can  formulate 
tlie  law  for  another.  It  may  even  be  that  what  is 
obligatory  on  me  may  be  forbidden  to  you.  In  such 
matters  we  cannot  judge  each  other.  But  to  keep  the 
day  holy,  to  subordinate  self  to  God  and  to  our  fellow 
men,  is  the  special  duty  of  all  on  this  day,  as  it  is  the 
supreme  law  of  all  life.  And  so,  some  time,  the  pres- 
ent distinctions  of  days  shall  vanish  in  the  eternal  Sab- 
bath of  the  heavens,  when  all  worship  will  be  work, 
and  all  work  will  be  worship. 


What  Jesus  Had  to  Say  About  Heaven. 

[April  9,  1S99.] 
Nothing  is  more  certain  than  that  it  is  appointed 
unto  all  men  once  to  die.  But  it  is  also  true  that  not 
one  of  us  is  ever  quite  ready  to  die.  Upon  the  very 
brink  of  the  grave  we  exhaust  all  available  resources 
to  prolong  our  own  life  or  the  life  of  those  whom  we 
love.  Last  month,  upon  two  successive  days,  I  offi- 
ciated at  the  funeral  services  of  two  persons,  both  of 
whom  had  rounded  out  a  full  ninety  years  ;  and  in 
both  cases  the  long  deferred  bereavement  provoked 
keen  regret.  There  was  no  fear  of  death ;  but  neither 
was  there  any  eagerness,  nor  any  welcome,  for  its  ad- 
vent. Not  one  of  us  wants  to  die.  We  may  some- 
times sav  so,  in  moments  of  deep  desjiondcnc} ,  Imt  the 
reaction  is  sure  to  come.     We  hold  on  as  long  as  we 

407 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

can.  We  do  not  voluntarily  relax  our  grip  upon  life. 
We  say  of  such  as  take  their  own  life  that  they  must 
have  been  of  unbalanced  mind,  thereby  voicing  our 
conviction  that  it  is  unnatural  for  man  to  make  an  end 
of  his  stay  on  earth.  Nor  is  this  the  infirmity  of  weak 
men  and  women.  Paul,  broken  by  his  many  labors, 
bent  by  his  many  burdens,  suffering  the  horrors  of 
Roman  imprisonment,  was  in  a  strait  betwixt  two, 
whether  to  depart  and  so  to  be  with  Christ,  or  to  re- 
main on  earth ;  and  he  could  not  bring  himself  to  in- 
dicate his  preference.  Jesus  Christ  came  to  give  His 
life  a  ransom  for  many.  Death  was  His  voluntary, 
deliberate  election.  And  yet,  when  He  entered  its 
dark  shadow.  He  prayed  once  and  again  that  the  cup 
might  pass  from  Him.  This  drawing  back  from  death 
is  not  the  soul's  infirmity.  It  is  its  earnest  and  im- 
passioned protest.  It  is  its  emphatic  affirmation  that 
it  was  made  to  live — and  to  live  forever. 

The  Biblical  record  of  man's  creation  is  in  com- 
pletest  harmony  with  this  constitutional  and  universal 
conviction.  The  record  tells  us  that  man  was  made 
of  the  dust  of  the  ground.  He  is  part  of  nature,  is 
under  all  the  laws  of  nature,  including  the  law  of 
death.  Adam's  body  was  mortal  like  our  own.  But 
the  record  also  adds  that  in  the  Garden  of  Eden  there 
was  a  tree  of  life,  the  eating  of  whose  fruit  was  a  pre- 
ventative of  death.  This  is  pictorial,  it  is  true,  and  is  not 
to  be  interpreted  literally.  It  is  poetry ;  not  prose. 
But  stripped  of  its  pictorial  or  poetic  form,  the  state- 
ment declares  that  while  man  was  made  of  the  dust  of 
the  ground,  a  part  of  nature,  and  under  all  the  laws  of 
nature,  including  death,  nature  itself  contained  some 

408 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

provision  by  which  death  could  be  prevented,  even  as 
novi^,  by  skillful  medical  treatment  and  by  vigilant 
nursing",  the  sick  are  often  snatched  from  the  jaws  of 
death,  and  their  lives  prolonged  for  many  years.  No 
man  is  competent  to  say  that  nature  does  not  contain 
such  a  provision;  and  the  Biblical  statement  that  it 
did  contain  such  a  provision  from  the  very  first  meets 
the  conviction  in  every  one  of  us  that  we  ought  not  to 
die,  that  death  is  an  evil  for  such  a  being  as  man. 
What  it  is,  and  whence  it  is,  we  do  not  know.  The 
record  more  than  hints  that  its  discovery  is  beyond 
our  successful  search.  The  gates  have  closed  upon  the 
tree  of  life,  and  the  revolving  sword  of  flame  guards 
the  entrance.  But  Genesis  and  the  soul  of  man  agree 
perfectly  in  this,  that  death  is  a  disturbing  element  in 
the  Hfe  of  an  immortal  spirit. 

There  was  a  time  when  materialism  was  the  reign- 
ing philosophy.  The  soul  was  declared  to  be  the  se- 
cretion of  the  brain,  as  bile  is  of  the  Hver,  and  that  a 
man  is  only  what  he  eats.  Of  course  death  was  the 
end  of  his  career.  Then  came  the  period  of  agnos- 
ticism, when  men  declined  to  formulate  their  belief, 
maintaining  that  the  evidence  was  confusing  and  con- 
tradictory. We  may  be  immortal,  but  we  do  not 
know ;  and  prudence  dictates  that  we  live  as  if  we 
were  immortal.  But  the  soul  craves  certainty,  not 
mere  possibility.  And  so,  for  a  decade  and  more,  we 
have  had  a  succession  of  books  grappling  with  the  ar- 
gument that  the  personal  immortality  of  the  human 
soul  is  demanded  by  the  logic  of  evolution ;  that  na- 
ture itself  is  an  empire  of  anarchy  from  center  to  rim, 
unless    self-conscious    mind    be    immortal.      There    is 

409 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

iiiiich  in  the  argument  that  is  fascinating.  But,  after 
all,  the  logic  is  circular.  It  ends  where  it  begins.  It 
finds  what  it  seeks.  It  assumes  what  it  proves.  The 
soul  of  man  makes  the  stars  echo  its  own  thought. 
And  that  is  as  it  should  be.  For  the  soul  of  man  has 
as  much  right  to  be  heard  on  its  own  behalf  as  have 
the  shining  stars  and  the  sounding  seas.  He  is,  and 
must  be,  his  own  interpreter.  You  search  in  vain  for 
the  sense  of  moral  obligation,  except  in  your  own 
breast;  but  it  is  there,  and  you  impose  its  authority 
upon  all  the  spaces  and  all  the  ages.  You  search  in 
vain  for  what  you  call  sin,  except  in  your  own  life ; 
but  it  is  there,  and  you  cannot  call  it  innocent  or  good. 
You  search  in  vain  for  any  evidence  of  personal  im- 
mortality, except  in  your  own  soul ;  but  it  is  there ;  the 
endless  outlook,  which  remains  even  when  its  au- 
thority is  silenced.  It  is  not  merely  that  we  should 
prefer  to  live  forever.  We  can  make  no  other  rational 
choice.  We  are  shut  up  to  that,  without  alternative. 
How  can  stars,  and  seas,  and  mountains,  and  birds, 
give  me  any  information  upon  such  a  matter,  when  the 
idea  of  personal  immortality  has  never  laid  its  mighty 
and  mystic  spell  upon  them?  No;  I  will  commune 
with  my  own  soul.  I  need  no  elaborate  logic  to  prove 
that  I  am  immortal.  I  know  it  by  what  I  am,  so  that 
my  present  conscious  existence  becomes  irrational  and 
absurd  if  the  grave  is  to  swallow  me  up.  I  cannot 
think,  I  cannot  live,  in  any  other  way  than  as  one 
whom  the  chains  of  death  cannot  bind.  It  is  an  im- 
mediate vision,  an  intuitive  conviction,  not  a  logical 
conclusion.  I  do  not  reach  it  by  argument,  but  by  self- 
knowledge. 

410 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

But  when  I  come  to  ask  what  the  endless  life  after 
death  will  be,  I  am  in  a  region  where  little  light  comes 
to  me.  I  have  but  this,  as  a  general  conviction,  that 
the  law  of  the  future  for  the  conscious  soul  must  be 
the  continuation  of  the  law  of  the  present.  Personal 
immortality  implies  immutability  of  law.  I  shall  reap 
only  what  I  sow.  Death  cannot  produce  a  radical 
change  in  the  condition  of  a  soul  upon  which  death 
cannot  lay  its  hands.  The  soul's  life  unfolds  under  its 
own  law.  What  it  was  on  earth,  what  it  was  at  death, 
it  remains  when  soul  and  body  are  parted.  The  ways 
part,  not  at  death,  but  where  the  will  chooses  the  right, 
or  elects  the  wrong.  Let  us  not  forget  that,  that  our 
eternal  destiny  trembles  in  the  scales  whenever  the  right 
confronts  us  and  compels  us  to  choose.  Now  is  the 
day  of  salvation! 

All  this  is  involved  in  what  Jesus  had  to  say  about 
the  life  to  come.  He  assumes  that  there  is  no  change 
in  the  soul,  that  it  retains  its  present  powers  and  ac- 
tivities, and  that  it  continues  under  the  normal  law  of 
the  present  earthly  life.  Death  is  the  end  of  one 
period  and  the  beginning  of  another,  leaving  the  soul 
itself  untouched  in  its  essential  life.  Death  has  no 
sacramental  saving  power.  To  shed  the  body  is  not  to 
get  rid  of  sin.  The  clearest  and  fullest  utterance  of 
our  Lord  on  this  matter  is  contained  in  the  parable  of 
the  rich  man  and  Lazarus.  Both  retain  their  personal 
and  conscious  identity.  In  both  memory  is  active, 
though  only  one  speaks.  They  remember  their  life 
on  earth.  They  recognize  each  other.  And  the  moral 
law  under  which  they  continue  to  exist  differs  in  no 
essential  feature  from  the  one  under  which  they  lived 

411 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

on  earth.  Each  simply  reaped  the  harvest  of  his  own 
sowing.  Assuming,  as  we  must,  the  personal  immor- 
tality of  the  human  soul,  we  must  assume  that  memory 
continues  to  discharge  its  mysterious  office,  for  good 
or  for  evil,  that  the  feelings  retain  their  place  and 
power,  that  conscience  exercises  its  judicial  authority, 
that  mutual  recognition  may  and  must  be  taken  for 
granted,  and  that  in  eternity,  as  in  time,  holiness  is  the 
law  of  blessedness. 

To  these  things  the  soul  of  man  bears  witness. 
Beyond  that,  all  human  oracles  are  dumb  or  speak 
with  no  recognized  authority.  In  ancient  and  in  mod- 
ern times,  men  have  given  full  wing  to  their  fancy. 
They  have  given  elaborate  descriptions  of  the  Elysian 
fields,  of  the  banquets  and  amusements  of  the  gods,  of 
Hades  and  the  gloomier  Tartarus,  closed  by  massive 
iron  gates.  Egyptian  theology  fairly  reveled  in  this 
species  of  speculation,  for  in  Egypt,  the  tomb,  more 
than  the  temple,  was  the  center  of  religious  worship; 
and  the  Book  of  the  Dead,  describing  the  soul's  jour- 
ney and  experience  after  death,  was  the  great  theo- 
logical manual.  The  Old  Testament  preserves  a  most 
remarkable  and  impressive  silence,  though  the  con- 
viction of  an  uninterrupted  life  pulses  in  every  psalm, 
breathes  in  every  prayer,  and  speaks  in  every  pro- 
phetic utterance.  Christian  literature  has  made  its  dar- 
ing excursions  into  this  region.  Dante  and  Milton, 
and  lesser  lights,  have  dragged  the  unseen  world  into 
view.  But  when  you  have  sifted  it  all,  there  is  abso- 
lutely nothing  left  upon  which  one  can  fix  with  cer- 
tainty. Genius  knows  no  more  than  does  the  new 
born  babe,  and  no  traveler  has  ever  returned  to  tell  us 

412 


THE    CHRIST    OF    NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

what  he  saw.  I  have  long  since  ceased  to  read  books 
on  the  future  Hfe,  though  there  are  enough  of  them 
to  make  up  a  great  Hbrary,  simply  because  no  one 
knows  anything  about  it,  and  upon  so  august  and  sol- 
emn a  theme  I  will  listen  only  to  the  voice  of  an  au- 
thoritative teacher, 

Jesus  Christ  is  such  a  teacher.  Of  course,  if  He 
was  only  a  man,  even  the  best  and  greatest  among 
men,  His  words  carry  no  more  authority  than  those 
of  Dante  and  Milton.  But  if  He  was  and  is  the 
Incarnate  Son  of  God,  God  manifest  in  the  flesh,  who 
came  from  heaven  and  went  back  to  heaven.  Infalli- 
ble Master  in  the  knowledge  of  the  world  to  come, 
His  words,  however  few,  give  us  secure  footing. 
Some  things  He  clearly  teaches.  He  teaches  an  eternal 
separation  of  the  righteous  and  the  wicked.  Annihi- 
lation and  universal  salvation.  He  cannot  be  made  to 
teach.  He  teaches  a  universal  resurrection  to  judg- 
ment, administered  by  Himself,  and  in  a  few  rapid 
strokes  He  sketches  for  us  the  heavenly  life. 

He  has  not  much  to  say  about  heaven;  but  what 
He  does  say  is  enough.  I  shall  not  enlarge  upon  it, 
because  I  am  convinced  that  it  is  sweeter  for  every  one 
of  us  to  fill  up  the  outlines  of  his  sketch.  The  four- 
teenth chapter  of  John  is  that  sketch,  to  which  may  be 
added  that  wonderful  word  to  the  penitent  thief :  "This 
day  thou  shalt  be  with  Me  in  Paradise."  Heaven  is 
the  Father's  lunise  of  many  mansions,  which  Christ  is 
busy  preparing  for  its  occupants ;  and  as  soon  as  the 
designated  chamber  is  ready,  He  comes  Himself  foi- 
the  inmate'  and  ^ucst.  VVc  are  not  to  be  left  naked; 
we  are  to  be  clothed  upon  with  our  house  which  is 

413 


THE    CHRIST    OF   NINETEEN    CENTURIES 

from  heaven.  We  are  not  to  be  left  unsheltered;  the 
Father's  roof  is  to  cover  us.  We  are  not  to  be  left 
wandering  in  solitude;  we  are  to  be  with  Him,  and 
where  He  is,  and  we  are  to  behold  His  glory.  He 
will  know  each  one  of  us,  and  call  us  by  name ;  and  we 
shall  know  Him.  Of  course  we  shall  know  each  other, 
as  He  welcomes  us  each  by  name,  and  we  shall  renew 
the  pure  and  holy  friendships  of  our  mortal  life,  as 
soldiers,  returned  from  the  wars,  recount  the  experi- 
ences of  the  camp,  the  weary  march  and  the  field  of 
battle.  It  cannot  be  otherwise.  Heaven  will  be  home ; 
more  than  that  I  do  not  care  to  know. 


^. 


The  good  man  never  dies. 
— Montgomery. 


'^5J^^Qr-->— >/^ 


414 


iiiSSiter^'-' 


1j0l2m665706 


